Being A Sister
by LiVeUrLiFe011
Summary: After Renee dies, Bella finds out she is adopted. She ends up moving in with her new brother Paul and living her new found life. But what happens when the guys begin to phase? And Sam imprints on her?
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: This is a story I got inspired from after reading a piece by Jillyan Call. The story was called **__**The Problem with Secrecy. Check it outt!**___

I couldn't believe it.

"I'm so sorry Iz." Kara said softly with a hand on my back.

"Thanks." I said looking over my shoulder to her teary eyed. She nodded and then walked away, leaving me to my thoughts.

I stood by my mom's grave a while longer, letting my tears fall down my cheeks.

I couldn't wrap my head around the thought that she was gone.

It all happened so fast. One minute we were driving home in the rain, and the next we were flipped over on the side of the road upside down.

I sobbed, knowing it was all my fault.

Phil.

That name made my blood boil.

She shouldn't have gone out with that so called boyfriend with her.

It began to pour again as I stood outside in the cemetery. I looked up to they sky, getting soaked by the hard cold wet droplets of rain. I sighed and began making my way to the car to go home.

I shut my door and started the engine. I quickly put on the heat to full blast and drove away from where my mother lay.

When I got home, I parked my car and looked at the outside of the place I called home.

Not having my mother there was going to be quite. Too quite.

We never had the perfect relationship; as a matter of fact our roles were kind of switched.

I was always the mature and responsible one, while Renee was the more carefree and flamboyant person. But that didn't mean I didn't love her. I grew so much closer to her as I grew up, and even more so when Charlie died.

My father died when I was 10, which is why we left Forks. My mom kept the house, but we never returned. She always claimed that it was because there were too many memories of him in the house and being around him made her want him to be with her.

I nodded, never pushing the subject. I could imagined how that felt- Being surrounded by someone you truly loved, but not being able to ever see them again.

I remember one day when she came home drunk she admitted to me that she could never let go of Charlie, and she would never let go of that house.

That night, I held her while she sobbed for my dad, and I rubbed her back and held her hair up while she puked.

I snapped out of my thoughts as I felt warm salty tears hit my lips. I quickly wiped them away and got out of the truck, running inside for cover against the rain.

When I wiped my feet and shut the door behind me, I couldn't believe who was sitting on the couch in the family room.

Phil.

He looked up at me when the door shut and his eyes filled with tears.

"Bella." He said getting up.

I quickly stepped back, feeling the anger inside of me rise up.

"What are you doing here?" I seethed.

"Bella, I know you are mad at me. And I certainly know you blame me."

I looked away from him. He was right. I was so angry with him.

If he didn't want to meet her at the bar then I would have never had to pick her up from there drunk. I would have never had to drive in the rain or yell at her for being immature. I would have never had to take my eyes off the road to look at her. And I would have never missed the car and its bright headlights speeding towards us.

"Why are you here Phil?"

"Because I wanted to say I was sorry. I shouldn't have been drinking with Renee at the bar." I nodded, not really wanting to reminisce the day my life came crashing down on me again.

"I was going to marry her you know." He said sadly.

My head snapped up and I looked at him.

"I asked her right before I signed my big contract. She said yes, but she didn't want to say anything till I came back and we celebrated properly."

I bit my lip to stop myself from crying.

"We were planning on telling you the day after the accident." He said sobbing a little.

The tears betrayed my poker face and began to fall.

"Bella I'm so sorry." He said.

I looked at him and saw him fall apart. I walked over and hugged him. He pulled his arms around me and we cried together in the foyer.

After a while we pulled back. It was pretty late so I headed for a shower and then bed.

Right before I went to bed I went downstairs to check on Phil. He was sitting on the couch with a picture of him and Renee in his hands.

"Good night Phil." I said peeking my head around the corner of the stairs.

"Night Bella." He said over his shoulder. I could tell from the glare of the fire in our living room that he was crying.

I sighed and went back upstairs.

I plopped down on my bed and snuggled with my pillows and blankets.

At around 4 am, I sat up in my bed wide eyed. I couldn't sleep.

I tried to just lay and bed and listen to my iPod, but it wasn't working. As I sighed and got out of bed I decided to take a warm shower, and going for a run. It was about six when I got home, and by then I know there was no use on trying to go back to bed.

I went downstairs and just stood there watching Phil sleeping on the couch, probably passed out from all the tequila he drank last night when I went to bed.

I carefully and quietly took the bottle of hard liquor off the table beside him and went to the kitchen to dump it.

I hated alcohol. Growing up with it around Renee was enough for me to see how bad it could turn a person.

I shivered at the thought at some of the experiences I had when Renee was drunk.

After I was finished cleaning up the liquor I turned and sat on the counter.

I hated how quite the house was, and I hated how everything reminded me of her. It was like it was my turn to suffer how she felt when Charlie left us.

I decided I needed to do something about it.

I went swiftly up the stairs and into her room. When I opened the door, it took my breath away.

It smelled like her. Everything about the room was her personality, her characteristics; the only thing missing was her.

I pushed away my thoughts and let my mind go on auto pilot. I began cleaning up her room and packing things away. Some of her stuff I filed into her dresser, and some in her closet. I made sure they were all put away neatly, and were out of sight. I went to shove some more stuff in her closet, when I found a thin, small white cardboard box up above by the attic door.

I reached on my tippy toes and bent my wrist to pull it down. My curiosity got the best of me and I opened it up.

I saw a white folded letter with black cursive handwriting that slightly bled through the paper. I recognized it as Renee's handwriting. I could spot it anywhere.

I saw there was a think piece of paper, almost like a piece of certificate paper, lying face down on the bottom of the box.

I decided to read the letter first. I mean, that's probably why they are on top right?

_Oh gosh, I can't believe what I just done._

_Here I am Renee Swan writing to a piece of paper about my problems. Why? You ask. Well because Charlie is gone out of town for work (not that I want him to know about this) and I can't talk to anyone about this. I was stupid and I was foolish. I slept with Eric McGrath. There I said it. I don't know why I did it. He just down from La Push to give me the great news that he and his wife were going to be expecting a baby soon, and I was so upset that Charlie was going to be gone for a year and one thing lead to another and now we are here. It's not just that I slept with him, but also the fact that I'm pregnant. Yes, I wrote it correctly. I bought 3 tests to prove it. And yesterday I went to the doctors and he said I was going to be having a little girl! I can't wait, but I can't let anyone know about this. I guess I will be telling Charlie I am having his baby…yes, I mean we did have sex before he left, so its right around that time I guess, maybe a few months earlier, but that doesn't matter right?_

_I will not tell Eric. No, I can't. They are expecting a boy; they are naming him Paul after his father. He was so happy, and this would break them up. I couldn't do that._

_Well thank you I guess, you piece of helpful paper. You have helped me think of what to do. I will raise this child as mine and Charlie's own. This will be kept between you and me, till the day I die._

I reread the paper one more time before letting it all sink in. Well I guess one thing was for sure, she kept the secret till the day she died, or well a little longer than that.

I swallowed the clump down my throat as everything began to sink in.

I had a brother, named Paul.

And she lied to me. I wasn't Charlie's. I was…someone else's.

The thought of being someone unknown made me sick. I ran into the bathroom and threw up.

This cannot be happening.

"Bella?" Phil asked groaning.

He walked into the room rubbing his eyes.

"Are you ok?" he looked at me alert and concerned now.

Tears fell from my eyes. "I'm not….I'm…."

"Bella?" he asked dropping down on his knees to me.

I looked up at him with tears in my eyes. "Charlie's not my father. I'm a nobody. I'm someone else's."

He looked at me shocked. "What are you talking about Bella?"

I pointed over to the small box and the letter beside it.

I watched as he read it and his face went from concerned to shocked.

Phil took some deep breaths and walked back over to me. He took me by the arm and helped me up.

"Come on." He grunted.

"Brush your teeth. It will make the taste go away."

I nodded and brushed them as he picked up the things from the floor.

I saw him sit on the bed looking at his hands. So I went and joined him.

"I'm sorry you had to come up here." I said, referring to come into Renee's room. I figured it must have been hard for him.

"It's ok Bella. Last night, after you went to bed, and after being drunk, I realized that Renee would have never wanted this. She wouldn't have wanted me to get all drunk on my ass and mope around. She would have wanted me to continue on my career, enjoying myself, just as she enjoyed coming along for the ride."

I listened and thought about what he said. I guess he was right.

"So yes, I will miss her. I will always miss her. She was my equal, but I think I am slowly starting to heal."

I nodded. "And Bella, thank you for forgiving me." He whispered.

"It wasn't your fault anyways," I mumbled.

"It wasn't yours either." He said stern. I didn't look at him, I couldn't. Not with all the guilt I was holding inside.

"Bella, look at me." He commanded.

I looked at him, but slightly towards the left.

"The man was passed out drunk behind the wheel. This was not your fault. If you didn't crash into him, someone else would have, and just think if the car was full of kids." He tried reasoning.

"I killed my mother." I put pathetically.

"Bella, you didn't kill her. She left this earth having fun. She went out with a bang." He said smiling.

I looked at him, laughing at the phrase. "So don't you blame yourself, you did nothing wrong. You were actually the responsible one in this situation." He said sighing.

"I guess I have a lot to learn." He rubbed his hands over his face.

"What now?" I asked, pointing to the papers.

"Well you are still writing to the Jacob boy aren't you?"

I nodded.

"And he knows your mother died?" he asked.

I nodded.

"Then you tell him what you would tell him-what you found." Phil answered.

I nodded, taking in a breath.

**A WEEK LATER**

A few days later, after writing that torturous note to Jacob, I got a reply.

_Bella,_

_Wow. I can't believe your mom hid that. Well you shall be lucky to know that Paul is actually my friend here at La Push. I told him about everything (well he actually caught me reading this note and took it out of my hands, because I must have had a weird expression on my face) and he said that he would really like to meet you. He was actually thinking of writing a letter, but he decided not to because he thought that would be trying to hard (don't tell him I told you that) Anyways, hopefully you can come down for a visit? Write me back._

_Oh and the guys say hi, along with Leah and Kim. And Paul told me to say hi especially from him._

_All my love, (well most, cause I'm with Leah) ;) _

_Jake_

I smiled while reading the note. The relief I felt was like no other. Paul was happy I was his sister, and was excited to meet me. I had to laugh out loud when Jake told me that Paul was thinking of whiting a note but thought he was going to com across as trying to hard and his ending comment. What a goof Jake is. Paul sounded like a great guy, super nice too.

"Bella…" Phil said in a nervous tone from the kitchen.

"Coming!" I yelled from outside.

I ran up the porch and inside, making my way to the kitchen with the note from Jake in my hands.

"Yea?" I asked.

Phil was sitting down at the table, looking torn.

"Bella, my job…when I signed my contract that means I'm going to be traveling a lot. And when Renee was here, she and I agreed that would be fine, but now circumstances have changed, and I don't know what to do. I mean you can always come with me, its just, we wouldn't stay in one place for long and I don't know if you want to go to college or…."

"Phil?" I asked cutting him off.

"It's ok. I was actually thinking of moving back to Forks in Charlie's old house." I said smiling.

"Really?" he asked

"Yea, well I got a note from Jacob today. And he said that Paul was excited to meet me, and maybe I could visit sometime. So maybe till you are done with your baseball stuff I could stay there."

"But Bella, wouldn't you be all alone in that house?"

I smiled. I love how Phil has become my father figure in less than a week.

"Yea, but I bet Jake and everyone else would come and visit me a lot. I mean La Push is only like 2 minutes away from Charlie's house. And im 19, so I can live by my self." I said trying to convince him.

He sighed and went silent, thinking about his options.

"Alright." He said. I smiled and hugged him.

"Thank you." I said and running upstairs to write to Jake.

_Dear Jake,_

_You won't believe this. I am moving back…for a while at least. Can't wait to see you and Paul. Tell him I can't wait to finally meet him. I will be there in less than a week (because Phil's agents want him on the road as soon as possible.)_

_I can't believe it. I feel so excited._

_Write you with all the details later._

_Love Bells._

I sealed the letter and hurrily put it in the mailbox.

By the next day, Phil and I had talked over everything and he helped me put some stuff together.

I was just about ready to go.

DAY OF LEAVING

Phil was driving me to the airport today. I already wrote Jake two days ago telling him my flight number and where to pick me up.

"Bella?" Phil asked while driving to the airport.

"Yea?" I said turning towards him

"Take this." He said. He handed me a small plastic card.

"A credit card?" I asked shocked.

He nodded. "Phil I can't take this. This is your money. I have money Renee left." I said giving it back to him.

He shook his head and shoved it back towards me. "I know she did, but you should save that. This is a credit card to the money I am making. Bella you are like a daughter to me, and I want you to live life. It only comes once, well that I know of." He said laughing a little.

I laughed along and smiled at him. "The credit card doesn't have a limit and don't worry about what you use it for or how much you are spending. I think I am making more money than the president." He exaggerated.

I laughed a little, and took the card.

"Thank you Phil." I said.

He nodded.

We pulled up towards the entrance and he helped me grab my bags. He went as far as he could go, trying to watch me board the plane.

But before I could get on, I had to go over and hug him.

"Thank you so so much." I said with tears in my eyes. "You are a great dad, and I am so lucky to have you."

He teared at the word 'dad' instead of 'step dad'

"You are so welcome Bella. I guess my role is easy to play when you have such a great daughter." He said pushing my hair back out of my eyes.

"Now go board your plane. And keep in touch Bella!" he yelled as I walked off.

I nodded to him and waved before going out of sight.


	2. Chapter 2

When I got off the plane, I didn't know what to expect. I knew Paul was going to be coming to pick me up, but I had no idea what he looked like, or if he knew what I looked like.

Luckily, after I collected my bags, I saw a tall tan skinned Native American holding a sigh reading 'Bella McGrath'

I smiled, he was using his own last name as my own I was sort of surprised when I saw he wrote 'Bella,' but knowing Jake, he must have told him I liked being called anything but my full name, Isabella.

"Hi." I told him shyly.

Paul looked down at me and smiled. He quickly picked me up and spun me around. I giggled as I heard him give a hearty laugh and continued to spin around. After a while, he set me down and looked at me.

"I'm Paul, your brother." He flashed me a dazzling smile. I could tell he really like the word 'brother' and I think I liked hearing it too.

"Hi, I'm Bella, your sister." I smiled, just as equally bright. Sister…It was weird, but I could get used to it.

We stood there for a few minutes just getting to know each other, and then he took my bags from my hands.

"Come on, let's get you home. Jake really wants to see you." He chuckled.

I laughed along with him and hopped in his car.

Paul was a really sweet guy. Within a few minutes I learned a lot.

He was hot tempered, and sometimes gets overly protective. I noticed how independent he was, but he admitted that he has always wanted a sibling.

I saw how his face brightened up when we talked about everyone, and I knew he was a family guy.

I had to laugh when he told me that he likes to come off as a jerk just to surprise everyone in the end.

When he asked about me, I felt so boring.

I told him about Renee and what she was like. Then I told him about Phil and what a great dad he has been trying to be.

When he asked me how Renee died, I got uncomfortable.

He must have noticed because he put a hand on my leg.

"It's ok. You don't have to tell me." He looked at me briefly before turning his eyes back on the road.

"So where are you going to be living? Cause I was thinking that…well…if you didn't really have a place…you could um… stay with me?" he squeaked out at the end.

I smiled and looked at him. "I would love to come live with you. I was thinking of staying at Charlie's but I never had time to get stuff together. Everything just kind of happened so fast…" I kept blabbing on before looking over and saw him a laughing a little.

A blush began to appear on my cheeks and I looked away.

"…Well thank you." I mumbled.

"Anytime sis."

I smiled widely. I glanced over to him to find him smiling just as wide.

After a few minutes of watching the scenery passed me by, I looked at Paul.

"So where exactly are we going?"

"Oh right. Sorry. We are going to Jakes. I was thinking of just stopping by there and then go back to my…I mean our place." He corrected.

I smiled wide again. _Our place._

"Sounds great. Actually is it ok if we all go to a car dealership around here after? I was hoping you and Jake could help me pick out a new car."

"Of course. I would be honored. I mean Jake knows more than me about cars, but I'm sure I could help."

I nodded.

After a few more minutes I knew we were in La Push. The scenery and feel was all different.

The sun was out shining bright; and there was sand and warmth everywhere.

It was totally different than Forks. Forks was muddy, rainy and cold. The totally opposite of La Push.

I felt excitement run through me as I knew I would be seeing Jake.

The car soon began to slow down and pulled up to the once familiar house.

I saw Jake sitting on the porch and I quickly hopped out of the car before it came to a full stop.

"Jake!" I yelled and ran into his arms.

"Bells!" he said in relief.

"I missed you." I cried in happiness.

He squeezed me tight.

"Oh I missed you too! I can't believe your back!"

I giggled as he swung me in the air.

When he finally put me down, I took a good look at him.

"Damnnn." I said giving him the look over.

I saw a slight blush appear on those tan cheeks of his.

"Man Jake, you and Paul are pretty hot."

He chuckled uncomfortably.

"Yea, it just kind of started to happen. Growth spurt I guess."

I rolled my eyes and ogled over his body. "Mmhhmm."

I looked over to Paul. I smiled as he looked between us, just leaning against his car.

I waved to him and saw his own grin spread across his face.

"So you're liking Paul by the looks of it." Jake claimed.

I tuned my attention back to him and smiled widely.

"It's great Jake. He's so nice, and the whole car ride, I feel like I have known him forever. Did you know he has a hot temper? And that he has always wanted a sister? And one time he-…."

I started babbling when I looked at Jake's face. He was grinning like he won the lottery.

"What?" I stopped, catching my breath from talking so fast.

"I'm glad you're happy Bells, I didn't think having Paul in your life would make you so…chipper."

I bit my lip, trying to hold back another smile. "Yea, I like it. I mean…I have a brother... A brother." I said rolling the word off my tongue again.

I thought about Paul and everything again, before turning back to Jake.

"Oh! Before I forget…I was thinking you could help me car shop?" I asked excitedly.

Jake's face lit up like a kid at the candy store. I knew he loved cars, motorcycles, or well anything else that could go fast and had wheels.

"Seriously?" he squealed.

"Yess." I said laughing as he picked me up, spinning me in circles again.

Right when he set me down he was dragging me to his car.

"Come on Bells, let's go! So what kind of car were you thinking cause they have…"

"Jake!" I laughed, cutting him off.

"Paul is going to come too. So I'm going to ride with him. But follow us ok?" I asked, pulling away and walking to Paul's car.

I saw Jakes face drop a little, so I yelled to him.

"But I was thinking an American brand? Like a Ford?"

Jakes face lit up again. "Ok, I will think of a good car for you Bells. Nice choice though!" he yelled and hopped in his car. 


	3. Chapter 3

As we drove there, Paul glanced over at me.

"So you and Jake are pretty close?"

I tore my eyes away from the trees and dreary weather and nodded.

"Yea, we were friends since we were little. And after I moved when Charlie died, we stayed in touch through letters." I told him, although he knew some of that.

He nodded.

"How did you become friends with Jake?" I asked.

"His friends Embry and Quil. They were in one of my classes for school, and the three of us got teamed up for a project. Well since Jake's place is like Quil and Embry's home, we went there and I met Jake. He was pretty cool and then we just became friends."

I smiled at him. Jake was an easy going guy. It was something I liked most about him.

"So what car are you thinking of?" he asked as we were pulling into the dealership.

"I don't know. I definitely want something American. Something not too big, but not too small and low to the ground either." I said, getting out of the car and walking with Paul.

"Exactly what I was thinking." Jake smiled, wrapping an arm around my shoulders as I kept my hand sin my back pocket of my jeans.

I laughed and the three of us walked through the shiny glass doors of the car dealership.

We browsed around a little till Jake dragged me over to a car.

It was a Ford Escape.

I looked at it, circling the car on display.

"I like it. Not too high but not too low. Seems like a good car." I said, running my hand over the hood.

I looked over to Jake and found him smiling like a fool.

The car man came over and we went to go sign the papers.

As the man talked to Jake about all the special features and crap I looked over to find Paul.

I found him standing next to an F-150. It was a huge pick up truck that was amazingly shiny. He was talking with a sales person about the car and seemed to be taking a real interest in it.

"Bella." Jake said, looking at me.

"Huh?" I questioned and then blushed as all eyes were on me.

"Did you want to get sync? It's supposed to be really cool." Jake said.

I nodded and smiled. "Yea, it sounds cool. Doesn't it have like voice activation and stuff?" I asked the young blond man who was helping us.

He smiled and nodded. "Yes, you can play your iPod in the car, and do some other things too."

"Sweet. Sounds cool. Umm…also. See that man over there?" I asked.

The man bent over his desk a little and nodded.

"I believe he wants that car. So can you have the person who he is talking to get him the papers? I will buy it for him."

The man looked at me kind of shocked. "Yea, sure. I will go tell the man right away and get these copied." He said referring to the papers.

He got up and I watched him go.

"You are paying for Paul's car?" Jake said wide eyed.

I shrugged. "Yea, why not? He seems to be really interested in the car. Kind of like a thank you for offering me his place."

"Offering his place?" Jake asked clueless.

I laughed at him. He had this funny facial expression. It was a like a mix between being clueless and in shock.

"Yea, Paul asked if I would like to move in with him instead of Charlie's place and I said yes."

He nodded, taking it all in.

"So you are buying him a car…"

I rolled my eyes. "You can get one too if you would like Jake."

He shook his head and looked at me crazily. "Where are you getting all this money?"

I pulled out my credit card and looked at it, feeling a little guilty. "Phil. He told me to use it whenever and have fun with it. He also said it doesn't have a limit. It was kind of weird. It was like he wanted me to spend it."

Jake looked shocked. "Damn."

I laughed and was about to say something; when the man came back.

"I told the sales man and he said he would take care of it. Now if I could just have you sign here and then show me how you are paying for this."

I nodded, quickly signing my name and then giving him my credit card.

"Alright, I will just be right back. I have to go slid this through."

As we waited for the man I felt hands come over my shoulders.

"You're buying me a car?" Paul asked incredulous.

"Yup." I said, leaning back to look at him.

He looked down at me shocked. "Bella. A car? I-…you don't have to. Or need to, for that matter. I was going to buy it when I finished this summer job."

I flashed him a smile as I looked at him upside down.

"It's fine Paul. Think of it as a thank you for letting me move it."

"Damn." He whispered. I let out a laugh, thinking about how Jake just said that a few minutes ago.

"Sir." The man called for Paul.

He looked down at me and then bent down to kiss my forehead.

"Thank you." He whispered, gripping my shoulders one last time before taking off with the salesperson.

When everything was set and ready to go, I drove away with a brand new car. The guy said Paul's would be ready in about an hour, since he was getting some cool designs on the bottom.

I hopped in my new midnight blue Ford escape and shut the door.

The grey cloth interior was really nice, and the sound system looked sweet.

There was a knock on the door and I rolled down my window.

"What next?" Jake and Paul asked.

"Well I have to get some things for my bedroom, unless you have things?" I asked Paul.

He looked at me and blushed. "Well I have some things, like the basics. But I don't know if you will really want to use them. You probably want to stop by some shops and pick up some things."

I nodded and smiled. "Alright. We can we head there? We drop off Paul's car at your house and then go shopping. And when we are done, swing by to pick up Paul's car."

They both nodded and Paul smiled.

As Jake walked away, getting into his car, Paul looked at me. "Thank you again Bella."

I flashed him a bright smile and nodded. "Anytime Paul. You are my brother after all."

He walked away with a smile etched on his face and got into his car.

We dropped Paul's car off, just like we talked about, and then he hopped into the car with me.

As I followed Jake's car, Paul began messing with my radio.

"So what do you like to listen to?" he asked.

"I don't know. I'm not really picky. I'm a pretty big fan of Pop, but I like some other types too."

He nodded and started setting my presets.

"Well I know some good stations with all of those, so I will se them up."

I briefly watched as al his concentration was on my radio.

Jake turned into some parking lot, which I followed to.

We found two empty spaces next to each other and parked there.

"Welcome to Port Angeles." Jake said, locking his car as I got out of mine.

"Hmm…looks nice." I told the two as we walked out of the parking structure.

The little city was filled with lights and stores.

We first hit a store that had sheets and bedroom things.

I bought some dark purple linen bed sheets, a bulletin board, curtains and rods, a dock for my iPod, a lamp, full length mirror, and some things for a desk that Paul had at home.

The guys took me all over. It was a long few hours. I felt bad or spending a lot of Phil's money. I felt like I was going through a lot of it.

When we finally went back to the parking structure, all of our hands were full to the max.

Not only did I buy things at the bed store, but I also bought some cans of paint and brushed.

I bought 2 cans of light purple and 2 cans of the dark purple to match my sheets. I was thinking of making a design on the walls so I had to buy about 5 or 6 different sized brushes in the bag.

Jake was teasing Paul about how boring and lifeless his home looked, so

We were bought a bunch of pictures, frames and other little things for his home.

Lastly, we bought some clothes. I found out that Forks was always usually cold or rainy, and most of the clothes I owed were summer things since I lived in Phoenix.

We put everything in my car and headed off to the dealership to get Paul's car.


	4. Chapter 4

_**~A/N: Thanks for reviewing everyone!**_

We drove back to Jake's and I was starting to get the hang of directions. Well, at least from the dealership to Jakes.

We were pulling into Jake's driveway when I saw some people standing in the driveway.

I couldn't help but to wonder if Jake's girlfriend was here. I heard so much about her in the letters he wrote me, but he never seemed to send a picture.

"Hey guys." Jake said and went over to a tall, black haired Native American girl. She laughed as he scooped her up into a hug and kissed her.

I got out of the car slowly and stood by Paul, feeling kind of awkward.

"Bella?" someone said.

I looked over to the small group and found two tall muscular boys looking at me wide eyed.

I stared at them for a second before it clicked.

"Embry? Quil!"

They gave me a huge grin and we hugged each other.

"Good to see you! Wow, you guys have changed." I said, looking them over. They both rolled their eyes at me, but kept the smile plastered on their faces.

"You look good Bells. Paul being good to you?" Embry asked seriously.

I nodded and smiled, looking over my shoulder at him while he had a girl in his arms. "Only the best."

Jake came back to us with his girlfriend in his arms and smiled. "Bella, I would like you to meet Leah."

Leah looked at me with warming eyes and smiled. "Hi, I'm Leah Clearwater." She said, holding a hand out for me to shake.

I took it with a smile and nodded. "I thought you might be Jake's girlfriend. I have heard a lot about you. It's nice to meet you."

She laughed and kissed his cheek. "I have heard a lot about you too. As weird as this sounds, it feels like I already know you since Jake talks about you almost everyday."

I felt the awkwardness die down and I smiled. "Me too! But I must say, you are a lot prettier in person than he described in the letters."

She blushed and gave me a smile. "Thank you."

"Damn Paul. What did you do? Win the lottery?" Embry asked.

I turned around and smiled. They were talking about the cars.

"No, I wish. But Bella here decided to buy me a car." He smiled, along with the pretty Native American girl. She was a little shorter than Paul and had black hair like Leah.

"You bought him a car?" Quil asked shocked.

"Yep." I said embarrassed.

"Damn Bella, I love you." Quil coo-ed. I laughed and shook my head.

"Nice try Quil."

Everyone laughed and then I turned back to Paul.

"So are you going to introduce me, or do I have to do it myself?" I asked him. I saw a faint blush on his cheeks and he smiled down at his girl with loving eyes.

"Bella, this is the love of my life Emily. Emily, this is my long lost sister Bella."

I laughed at his introduction but smiled none the less.

"Hi Bella. I've heard a little bit about you these past days, so it's nice to meet you." She said kindly.

I blushed and shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you too. Paul's lucky to have you."

She smiled at me and then kissed Paul.

I turned my head to let them have a private moment, and decided to get my stuff out of the car.

I opened the back door and began to gather some bags.

"Need some help?" someone asked off to my side.

I turned around and stood face to face with an older teen, not quite as old as Jake and everyone, but still pretty hot looking. He reminded me a lot of Leah.

"Yea, thanks…" I said implying for him to give me a name.

"Seth." He said.

"Thanks Seth. I'm Bella by the way." I said, shaking his hand.

"Nice to finally meet you. Jake and Paul have been driving us all crazy with their Bella talk." He laughed lightly.

I smiled and gathered some bags to take into the house.

Seth and I began walking and talking, making my way to the house.

"You are living at Paul's?" Seth asked.

I smiled and nodded. "Yup."

Seth opened the door for me and I smiled. He was cute in a friend/ brother way.

We walked into the house, with our hands full of bags.

"Oh wait. I forgot to ask where I'm sleeping." I told him blushing.

He gave me a smile and opened the door to yell for Paul.

"Yo Paul! Where is Bella staying?"

"Upstairs. First door on the right!" Paul shouted back.

Seth nodded and began walking upstairs with me in tow.

"So how old are you?" he asked.

"19. You?"

"Ah, so you are only a few months younger than Paul. I'm 16." He told me from behind his shoulder.

Seth opened the white door and walked in.

The room was pretty big. It had white walls and dark hard wood flooring which had a chest and desk to match. The desk was right off to the left by the door and the chest was against the wall close by it. There was a bed, with the same dark wooden frame, off towards the end of the room, along with a white closet, that was at the opposite wall of the bed. There were square white windows placed throughout the room, which brought a little bit of sunlight into the room.

"Look." Seth said, pointing out the window.

I stood at the window, next to Seth and saw the beach.

It was beautiful. "That's first beach over there."

I nodded and watched as the waves washed over the light brown sand.

"Its breath- taking." I said, still looking out the window, while Seth began setting down the bags.

"Yea, it is." He said in agreement.

After a while, we began making trips back down the stairs and to my car; taking all the bags and putting them in my room.

When we were finished with all of our trip making, Seth began opening up all the windows while I opened the box to my black shiny iPod dock.

I quickly got it set up, sticking my iPod in the middle of the speakers and playing some music.

"Is this ok?" I asked, referring to the type of music.

Seth nodded and smiled. "Yea, I'm really into the Newer Pop kind of music. Actually I'm really into all Pop. Other things are ok, but I really just like Pop." He blushed.

I flashed him a huge smile and looked at him. "Me too. Pop is my favorite genre of music."

We dusted and cleaned the room while talking about random things. The room was pretty dirty. There were layers and layers of dust all over. You could tell nobody has lived in here a while.

While we were listening to 'What Goes Around…/…Comes Around' by Justin Timberlake, I began hearing the guys enter the house.

We worked for a while longer, talking and laughing before I heard Paul calling to us.

"Hey guys! Come on, we're about to eat!"

Seth put down his rag and walked away from the windows to the door

"You coming?" he asked, halfway out the door. The only part left of Seth was his head, which was barely sticking in my room.

I looked up from wiping down the desk and nodded. "Yea, I will be down a little later. Save me a plate will ya?" he nodded to me and walked down.

I smiled to myself as I began opening all the paint stuff. Seth was pretty cool. He was easy to be around with and a lot of fun.

I poured some of the light lavender color looking paint into its tray and began rolling the brush into it.

Once it was covered with paint, I stuck it to the wall and began rolling up and down.

I worked fast, finishing almost the whole left wall till Paul came up.

He knocked on the opened door and walked in.

"You coming to eat? Clearwater saved you a plate."

"She did?" I asked. I didn't think Leah would be the caring type to see if I ate or not.

"Huh? No, Seth saved you one. He said that you were coming down in a little."

"Oh, Seth. Yea. He's related to Leah. How?" I asked, thinking out loud and then blushing. I guess I should have asked him that.

"They are brother and sister."

_Duh Bella! _I thought to myself as I rolled the paint on the wall.

"Anyways, you coming?" he asked, watching as I finished painting.

"Yup, I'm coming right now."

I set the paint roller back in the tray and turned off the dock.

Paul waited for me and the put a hand on my lower back, guiding me downstairs.

"Hey. Thought you were never going to come down." Jake said, swallowing his food.

"Sorry, I just wanted to start painting." I said, walking over to the fridge.

I grabbed my plate and sat down, listening to everyone's conversations.

I mostly talked to Seth and sometimes Leah and Emily.

They all seemed really nice. They thought it was great I was back and happy to have me.

"So I saw Jared today." Jake said with a huff.

"Who?" I asked as I felt the room shift.

"Jared Pent (A/N: Sorry, made it up.). He used to be our friend till he went with Sam." Paul gritted.

"Why?" I asked them.

They all shrugged their shoulders and Leah spoke up.

"We all don't know. One day he goes home with a high fever. He misses some school and then he starts following Sam." She said, rubbing Jakes arm.

I nodded and decided to change the topic.

"So I was thinking…since Jake, you said you would help me make myself at home, want to come help me finish painting?" I smirked.

He raised an eyebrow and rolled his eyes. "I'm not really getting a choice am I?"

"Well…I thought it was worth a shot. Be nice and courteous." I laughed.

Jake knew me too well. Usually I would tell him what I needed. And if he said know, I would just bug him long enough, till he would eventually give in and do whatever I needed him to.

"Fine." He said, huffing.

After I finished eating, Seth, Jake and I headed up to my new room.

As Jake began painting the walls, Seth and I moved the furniture to the middle of the room. Then we put together my floor lamp and turned it on. It made the room a lot brighter and helped us see the walls.

Seth grabbed some brushes as I got the paint and then handed me one. I flashed him a smile and began working on the other big wall with him.

'I Kissed A Girl' by Katy Perry started playing and Jake sung his lungs out.

Seth and I looked at each other before bursting out laughing. Jake continued to sing, smiling as we laughed.

He jumped on the bed and began using the paint roller as a microphone. He moved his foot up and down to the beat and moved around the bed like a rock star.

"What is going on here?" Paul asked.

We all looked towards the door and found everyone looking behind Paul.

Seth and I laughed harder as Jake turned beat red.

Leah looked like she was trying not to laugh, but was failing miserably.

All of the guys were laughing while Emily giggled quietly.

Jake jumped down from the bed and cleared his throat.

"I'm just going to go continue to paint." He said, still beat red.

Leah came over to him as his back faced us, and hugged him.

"Nice singing." She commented, snickering.

Everyone let out a chuckle, but quickly turned away as he looked at us.

The song 'Misery Business' by Paramore started playing and this time, I couldn't help but sing along.

Paramore was one of my favorite bands, and she had such great songs.

I didn't take my eyes off the wall as we painted; knowing they all started looking at me.

My head beated along to the song and soon Seth was doing the same.

I looked over to him and smiled. Soon, we were facing each other, using our paint brushes as microphones as singing to the lyrics.

It was getting dark and the room was finished. We all went downstairs and chilled in the kitchen.

Everyone soon said their goodbyes and walked out the door.

Seth was the last to head out and say goodbye.

"Bye B. Thanks for tonight. It was fun" He said, hugging me.

I relaxed into his arms and hugged him back. "Haha, Thank you Seth! You were a huge help. See you soon?"

He pulled away and flashed me the brightest smile with his white pearly teeth. "Definitely."

He gave Paul a manly hug and then was out the door, running to catch up with his sister.

"So?" Paul asked.

"It was amazing. I love it. They were all really nice and Emily is amazing. Seth is awesome too! He was so nice and friendly." I continued to blab to him while we walked into the living room, sitting on the couch to watch a movie.

He smiled at me and listened to everything I had to say.

"Leah is perfect for Jake and I couldn't believe Embry and Quil. They were so big and tall!"

He laughed and put a hand on my arm. "Take a breath Bella. They aren't going anywhere."

I sucked in a deep breath and smiled with content.

The rest of the night Paul and I watched a movie.

I leaned closer to him, curling my body against his and covered a blanket with my body.

He kept an arm around me and continued to watch the movie.

I soon felt my eyes flutter shut, and I went fast to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

When I woke up the next morning, I was laying on the couch, curled up with a blanket.

I groaned as the sun shined, hitting my eyes.

"Paul?" I asked, rubbing my eyes.

I got to answer, so I got up off the couch and made my way into the kitchen.

I found a note magnetized to the fridge. I grabbed it and rubbed my eyes before reading it.

_Bella, _

_Sorry I couldn't be there when you woke up. I had to go to work._

_Call me when you get up, maybe we can catch lunch together._

_Love your brother,_

_Paul._

I smiled and looked at his messy writing.

_Love your brother._ I still couldn't get over those words; I don't think I ever would. I loved hearing and seeing it. Having a brother. It was the best feeling in the world.

I went over to the phone and dialed Paul.

"McGrath." He answered.

"Hey." I smiled.

"Bella! You finally woke up?" he teased.

I let out a chuckle and twirled the phone cord around my finger.

"Yup. Can you take a lunch break?"

"Yea. Sure. Did you want to meet me at Sue's Diner in about a half hour? I just have to finish up some things."

"Sure. Sounds good. How do I get there?" I asked, looking for a pencil and paper.

He gave me the directions, saying them slowly as I wrote them down. When I was done, we said our goodbyes and hung up.

Looking at the clock, I found I wouldn't have time to shower and eat. So I ran up the stairs and got ready for a shower.

When I was done, I ran a brush through my hair and let it air dry.

I slipped on a pair of jeans and a lace trimmed tank top with a leather jacket.

When I was ready, I slipped on my converse and was out the door.

I followed Paul's directions and it let me right to the diner.

'Sue's Diner' it read in neon pink letters with a yellow background.

I hopped out of the car and walked in.

Paul was already sitting in one of the red booth's looking at the menu.

"Hey." I said slipping in the other side.

"Hi. Did you get here ok?" he asked concerned.

I nodded and grabbed a menu. "Yea, the directions were perfect."

A lady with Sandy blond hair came to take our drink orders and smiled at me.

"You must be Bella McGrath." She smirked, looking at me.

Paul cleared his throat, feeling uncomfortable as she used his last name for mine.

But it didn't bother me. I put on a kind smile and nodded.

"Yup. That's me. Sorry I don't really know you…"

"Sue Clearwater." She said, shaking my hand.

My eyes lit up. "Seth and Leah's mom?"

She smiled and nodded. "That would be me."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." I said.

"Well, the pleasure is really all mine Bella. I have heard so many kind things about you. From Seth and surprisingly Leah." She told me.

I let out a laugh and she took our orders.

When we were both done, I handed her our menus and thanked her.

She smiled, turning back to look at me. "You are so polite Bella. Teach a few manners to this one." She joked, nodding over to Paul.

He blushed and I let out a laugh.

When she walked away Paul looked at me. His gaze was so intense that I looked down at my paper placemat.

"Thank you. For not getting upset when she used my last name for you."

I shrugged my shoulders and looked at him.

"I didn't mind it. You are my brother after all."

His eyes lit up and a smile went across his face.

"That I am."

"So how's work so far? What do you even do?" I asked.

"It's good. I work as a fire fighter."

"Really?" I asked.

"Yea, it's just a summer job. There aren't very many fires though. Mostly we just make rounds and make sure the trucks are clean."

"Do you have a Dalmatian dog too?" I asked, quite excited over the dog.

He laughed and leaned back in the booth.

"If I said yes, would that make you really happy?"

I smirked. "I could do you one better. If you said yes, it would make my day."

He smiled and nodded. "Yea, we have the dog." He rolled his eyes as mine lit up.

"What's his name? Is it a he?"

"Yep. His name is Sheppard. We call him Shep for short." He said, crossing his arms, highly amused by my excitement.

I asked him another round of questions before our food came

"Why are you so excited about a dog anyways?" he asked as a waitress set our food down in front of us.

"Because I always wanted a dog, but my mom didn't want the responsibility or hassle. So we never got one."

He nodded and dug into his food.

We walked some more while we ate.

"So what's going on with you and Seth?" he asked, sipping his water.

"Nothing why?" I looked at him curiously.

"Because he called the house a few times before I left and then my cell."

I looked at him wide eyed. "He called? And you didn't tell me!"

"Well you said it was nothing…"

"He's my friend! And I told him I would hang out with him soon."

"Yea, soon. Not tomorrow morning." Paul grumbled.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "I like Seth. He is really nice and sweet. So bug off."

He moved back a little, stunned. "Bug off? Bella, I'm looking out for you."

I rolled my eyes and ate my food. "You mean isolate me. Paul, its just Seth. You've known him longer than me. And by the looks of things, he seems like a respectable guy. Plus he is only 16. I'm 19. I'm not into that whole cougar thing."

Paul's anger and sadness faded away and he laughed.

"Good, I'm glad. Sorry I got protective there. I just don't want to see you moving so fast too quickly."

I stopped eating and smiled at him. "As much as I appreciate it. You need to use your head more and chill out. I can look after myself."

"I will try. But just to let you know, I'm your brother Bells. Whether you can look after yourself or not, I'm here and you're stuck with me." He lent forward to me and said with total seriousness.

"…Protectiveness included." He joked at the end of his little rant.

"This is going to take some getting used to." I groaned and sat back.

He let out a laugh watching me and paid the bill.


	6. Chapter 6

We walked out of the diner, waving goodbye to Sue.

"So what are you going to do when you get home?" Paul asked while walking me to my car.

"Well, first I am going to call Seth." I said pointedly, still disagreeing about not telling me.

"And then maybe finish painting? Then if I have time, unpack a little." I stood at the car, waiting for him to hug me goodbye.

"Hmm…sounds good. I should be home around 4pm. Then we can do something if you would like."

I smiled, twirling the keys in my hand. "That would be awesome. But what about Emily? You know just because I'm here now doesn't mean you have to take time away from your girlfriend to be with me."

He blushed and shifted from foot to foot.

I looked away, feeling really awkward. "I don't mind being alone. I'm used to it by now Paul. So don't worry about leaving me and stuff."

The distance between us was deafening. Two of his fingers came up to my chin and pushed it up to meet his eyes.

"But see Bella, that's what bothers me. I don't want you to be alone. And I sure don't want you to be used to that fact. Emily doesn't mind me spending time with you. She understands and thinks you are a really great girl. So don't ever think you aren't worth my time."

My eyes started to tear up and I smiled at him. I gave him a small nod before he eloped me into a hug.

"See you at home?"

"Most definitely." I confirmed.

I opened the door and got into my car. Paul stood there waiting and watching till I pulled away and was out of sight.

When I got back to the house, I quickly parked the car in the driveway and went into the house to call Seth.

I was feeling so guilty about not calling him. He was probably thinking I was avoiding him or something. I should have known to call.

As I reached the phone I realized I didn't have him number. I scanned the room and found numbers on a piece of paper posted on the fridge.

I took it from the purple magnet and dialed the number.

There were a few rings before someone picked up.

"Hello?" the voice asked.

I knew the voice was Leah's.

"Hey Leah, its Bella. Is Seth there?"

"Hey Bella, yup. He is here. One second I will get him."

"Thanks." I murmured while waiting for him.

"Seth!" Leah called in the background. "Bella's on the phone!"

There was a sound of running and then fuzziness. Seth must have picked up the phone from Leah.

"Bella?" Seth asked with a breath.

"Hey Seth! Sorry I didn't call earlier. I was sleeping when you called the house and Paul didn't tell me you called till later when I saw him." I bit my lip, feeling bad.

_Stupid Paul._

"It's alright Bella. Paul said you were tired from last night anyways."

I furrowed my brows and shook my head.

_Damn Paul. Needs to mind his own business._

Then his words came back into my head.

_I'm your brother Bells. Whether you can look after yourself or not, I'm here and you're stuck with me….Protectiveness included._

"So what are you doing today?" Seth's voice asked, cutting through my thoughts.

"Huh? Oh, well I'm going to finish painting and then who knows…"

"Mind if I come over? I'm sure I can help with something." I could hear the nervousness in his voice.

"Sure, I'll take all the help can get."

I felt him smile on the phone. "Great. When did you want me to come over?"

"Well…I'm about to start in a few minutes, so you are welcome to come whenever."

"Alright. Well give me like 10 minutes?"

"Sure. Sounds good. I will see you then."

"Sweet. See ya Bells." He chimed.

"Bye Seth!"

When we hung up, I couldn't stop smiling. _What was with me?_

I shook my head and laughed. I was being stupid. Taking two steps at a time, I headed for my room.

The paint brushes lay spread out in a neat pile on the desk in the middle of the room.

I searched for the can of dark purple paint and then opened up the lid.

Last nights paint was dry, so I was going to start the design.

I swirled the paint around with one of those long wooden sticks; watching the dark creamy looking paint flowed nicely as I stirred it.

I must have stood there, staring at the paint for a while because I was interrupted with a knock on the door.

"It's open!" I shouted from my room. The door creaked open and footsteps were heard.

"Bella?" Seth's voice called.

"Up here." I yelled for him.

I poured the paint in the tray and looked up as he walked in the room.

"Hey." He said, setting his keys down and looking at me with a small smile.

"Hi Seth. You drive?" My smile grew just looking at him. I took note he had car keys and couldn't help but ask him. I dipped the brush in the paint and started at the corner of the wall.

"Yeah. Well my birthday is in a few days, so my family just lets me take the car." He said, watching as I painted the walls with steady brush strokes.

"Your birthday is soon? Why didn't you tell me?" I said, turning away from the wall.

He shrugged his shoulders and put his hands in his pockets.

"I don't know. I didn't think it was a big deal."

I walked over to him, dipping the brush in the purple paint.

"Of course it's a big deal. One of my closest most bestest friend's birthday is coming up!" I smiled.

I could see his eyes light up.

"Really?" he asked.

I looked at him like he was crazy. "Of course. I think you are one of the most friendly and comfortable to be around." I turned back around and drew some more swirls on the wall.

He blushed a little, but continued to watch me. "Thanks Bella."

"It's the truth." I put simply.

I walked back over, dipping the brush in paint.

"So what are you going to do for your birthday?"

"I don't know. Maybe just chill with my family. You're welcome to come."

I smiled as I painted and nodded. "Well how about if you have time I take you out for a birthday lunch? Sound good?"

He looked at me wide eyed and nodded with a huge smile. "That sounds…amazing."

"Good. It's settled then."

I finished painting a few swirls and stepped back, cocking my head to the side.

"It looks amazing Bella."

"Thanks." I said, still analyzing my work.

The swirls all originated from the same spot, at the bottom of the wall, and then spread out. They were each different lengths and swirled a little differently.

"So what can I help with?" he asked, breaking me away from my analysis.

"Want to hang some things? And help me take some pictures?"

He shrugged his shoulders and waited for me to tell him what to do.

I pointed over to the plastic bags and had him start hanging some things on walls that weren't in the way of the swirls.

Moving fast, I made long and wide swirls.

As the design started growing higher, I was having a harder time reaching the wall.

"Here, let me help." Seth said, taking the brush from me.

He looked at the other swirls and tried mimicking them.

The turned out pretty good. "Is this ok?" he asked, standing behind me.

I swallowed and nodded. We were really close to each other.

He finished the left side of the wall, pressing up against me as he reached up close to the ceiling.

I swallowed, keeping my eyes up on what he was doing. I was starting to feel a little bit awkward.

After he was done, he handed me back the brush with a smile.

"Thanks."

He grinned and went back to work.

I stepped back again analyzing how it looked.

"You know, you did a pretty good job. How'd you do that?"

He looked back at me and then the wall. "I don't know. Just looked at your work I guess."

Nodding to him, I dragged all of my things and starting doing the right side.

When it got to high again, he stepped in and took over.

This time I ducked under his arm and watched him paint.

He was careful and precise, trying his hardest not to mess up.

"Seth, it doesn't have to be perfect." I laughed as his eyes followed a swirl, trying to accurately copy it.

When he felt like he got it, he stepped back at let out a triumphant grunt.

"Nicely done Picasso." I snickered, taking the brush out of his hands.

We continued like this for a while, talking to each other and learning new things about one another that I would never guess. We finished painting and now hanging things.

I was working on setting up my dark purple curtains while Seth was hammering nails.

"First love." I stated, waiting for him to answer the question. We've been asking each other a bunch of random things to help the time pass.

"Her name was Ruby. She was my best friend." He sighed and I looked at him from the stepstool.

"I really liked her. At one point I thought I might even have loved her."

I stopped what I was doing and looked at him. He glanced at me and kept on hammering the nails into the wall to hang my bulletin board.

"What happened?"

"Well we were in the middle of a relationship when she left last year. We email each other sometimes, but it's not the same. We never really established if we were even having a long distance relationship."

"Are you?" I asked, raising my eyebrow.

"I don't know. I mean I still really like her, but I don't know if the feeling is mutual." He murmured.

I nodded and went back to my curtains. "Plus, being close friends made dating so much harder. I mean, I know people say it was supposed to be easy, but it came hard for us. We knew everything about each other. Nothing was a surprise. And there was just that missing spark."

"But…?" I asked, knowing it was coming.

"But it didn't make me stop loving her. She was sweet, kind and really nice to everyone."

He let out a sigh and looked at me.

"Sometimes I think to myself that I only loved her so much because she was my closest and best friend. And when we tried becoming more, I didn't really have feelings for her; I just thought it was true love because we were so close for so long ya know?"

I nodded and thought about what he said.

"A part of you will always love her. And whether you guys get on the same page or not, you both will always be best friends."

He looked at me and nodded. "Thanks."

It was now Seth's turn and I waited for a question. "Were you…were you sad when your mom passed away?"

As much of a stupid and obvious question it was, I felt myself freeze.

I gulped and nodded for him to screw the rod onto the wall.

As he screwed the rod into the wall, I moved away and chose my words carefully.

"Yea, I mean who wouldn't be." Seth turned to me and his eyes became small.

"There's more to it. I can tell." He warned.

I sighed and bit my lip.

"When she died…I felt like I lost a part of myself. It was different than Charlie's death. It hit harder to home." We continued to paint, so I went on. "I remember Charlie's death. I remember being upset and hurt…but the pain…the pain disappeared in a few days." I swallowed hard and pushed myself to continue.

"With Renee…it was different. She wasn't just my mom, but my best friend. Even though she slipped off the wagon a few times and had those bad days, we still made it. She made sure I had a roof over my head and an education in my brain. At times I hated her. She always acted like a little kid, but then I realized it was only because she wanted me to live a fun and happy life."

He concluded his painting and walked over to me. I closed my eyes as his chest came face to face with me. I felt sick inside.

"She was going to get married you know. The day after the accident happened, she and Phil planned to tell me."

He wrapped his arms around me and I let tears slip down my face. "She didn't want to tell me when I was driving her home from the bar because she was drunk and didn't want to ruin it the element of surprise. I was supposed to be happy for her." Seth's arms held me tighter and I snuggled into him.

"But instead, I took my eyes off the road and yelled at her for being immature." I choked on my words and shut my eyes tightly.

The scenes played in my head. _Right before the accident- When I was yelling at her while the rain poured…when I rushed into the bar, finding her laughing and flirting with Phil…_

"Bella." Seth said.

I took in a breath and tried to calm myself down.

"This isn't your fault. Your mom…she loved you. Just the way you described her, I could hear how much she loved you. She wouldn't blame you for what happened Bella; it wasn't your fault. So stop blaming yourself."

I looked up to him with red blotchy eyes. He didn't even know the full story.

He wiped some of the excess tears and kissed my cheek.

"Come on. Let's go take some pictures of the beach."

I nodded, brushing away my tears and grabbing my camera.

He waited for me, taking my hand and leading me down the stairs.

We walked on the warm sandy beach hand in hand.

The sun was actually out and shimmering against the water.

"When I was 12, I lost my dad." Seth said quietly.

I looked at him and waited.

"I felt like my whole world was spinning out of control. He was always such a caring guy that led everybody out of harms way. And when he died, I thought I lost that. I felt like I lost the feeling of being safe and protected."

He looked up from our entwined hands and stared straight ahead. My eyes never broke off his face. I watched as pain came and went across the beautiful face.

"One day, I walked up to go to my room and saw my mom and sister sitting on the bed crying in my parent's room. My heart was breaking for them. I knew I had to be strong…and so I was. From that day on, I vowed to myself that I would protect them just like my dad did."

I smiled at him as he looked down at me with tears in his eyes.

"I'm proud of you Seth." I whispered and kissed his cheek.

He gave me a small smile and we continued to walk around.

When we gave up on the seriousness of conversations, we fooled around; taking pictures of the scenery and ourselves.

Seth posed in about every picture with a goofy grin or a weird look on his face that he found hilarious.

I begged him to take at least one serious picture, which he rolled his eyes and agreed to.

We started off smiling into the camera, but then right as I pressed the button, Seth kissed me on the cheek and the photo was taken.

I whined as he ran away laughing and continued to take a zillion more pictures.

Finally, there was about one picture that was my absolute favorite. I caught the moment perfectly.

Seth and I were smiling in the camera, arms wrapped around each other. Our eyes were light and full of fun.

I laughed as he climbed up on some rocks and striked this really weird pose.

He made me take a picture of him as he jumped down. When I looked at the screen I found he came down with a karate kick.

I laughed at him and ran away, not letting him see the picture.

"Come on Bella." He laughed, still chasing after me.

"No, your ego is inflated enough."

He stopped and looked at me. One of his eyebrows rose.

"So it's a good picture then?"

I laughed rolling my eyes. Just as I was running away again, he caught me by the waist and twirled me around. I kept the camera just out of arms reach.

He tickled me in his arms as I giggled and gasping for breath.

"Ok ok!" I panted for air.

I tossed him the camera and put my hands on my knees.

He looked at the picture and beamed with happiness.

"Smile Bella!" he chimed as he clicked a photo of me.

The sun was setting and Seth and I sat down to watch it.

It was the most amazing sight.

He took a few pictures of it, and then held out a hand to start heading back hands.

I didn't feel awkward or uncomfortable as our hands were entwined again.

It was like we both knew this was nothing more than a friendship.

It was getting dark and when I looked up the hill I could see the house. The lights were on and a grin appeared on my face.

I let go of Seth's hand and turned to him. "Race ya!" I shouted and ran.

I looked back and saw him stunned for a second; then smiling and racing after me.

Seth caught up to me pretty quickly. He tried swiping his arms out to catch me, but I dodged them.

I raced up to the porch and flung the door open, panting in victory. Seth was coming to halt as he got to the doorway.

"Bella!" I heard Paul say in relief.

Seth and I quickly looked and found Paul standing in the kitchen looking really relieved and worried.

"Where were you? Its almost 8!"

"What?" I said, feeling really clueless. I walked to the kitchen and found it a quarter to 8.

_Ooops_. I winced.

"Sorry Paul. I didn't realize what time it was. Seth came over to help me finish my room and then we went to the beach for a while."

Paul looked back at me raising an eyebrow as I said Seth's name.

He looked to the front door and at Seth. Seth looked kind of uncomfortable as Paul glared at him.

I cleared my throat and Paul's head snapped back at me.

He walked over and hugged me. "You had me worried. I thought something happened to you. I called all of the guys and Leah said Seth came over a while ago and hasn't heard from him since. Don't do that again. At least leave a note on the fridge or something."

I nodded and hugged him. "Sorry. I didn't mean to. I will leave a note next time though."

When he let go, I smiled. "So did you see my room yet?"

He shook his head. "No, I didn't bother going up there since there was no music playing and I yelled for you."

Guilt hit me, but I brushed it off. I had a fun time with Seth. It was time I finally felt free and like myself.

I grabbed his big warm hand and pulled him out of the kitchen.

"Then let's go see it."

I ran up the stairs with him and Seth behind me. When we got close to entering my room, I stood on my tip toes and covered his eyes.

He walked forward, into my room and I grinned.

"And now, I would like to present to you the most awesome room of the century. Created by yours truly and my best friend, Seth Clearwater."

My hands flew off his eyes and watched as he looked all around the room.

"Wow" he whispered. "Amazing design, where did you get it from?"

"My head." I answered.

He looked at me shocked. "You painted that?"

I gave a shrug and stood by Seth. "Well he did the high swirls, but yea. We did."

Seth gave me a smile as Paul turned back to the walls.

"You hung all the curtains and rods?" I rolled my eyes.

"Paul. It was all us. No one else came to help."

He walked over to us and gave me a hug. "Great job."

He ruffled Seth's hair and walked back downstairs. Paul and I stepped into the kitchen while Seth was behind us.

"Well I should go." he said sadly standing at the front door.

My mouth turned into a small frown and I nodded.

I walked over to him and hugged him. "Thanks for everything today."

He smiled a goofy smile and nodded. "Of course, it was fun. See you guys later."

He gave Paul a nod and was out the door. I walked over to the fridge to get a bottle of water when Paul began talking.

"You still going to stick to the story that you both are 'just friends'?"

I rolled my eyes, and jumped on the counter, sipping my water bottle. "I'm sure Paul. There is nothing going on between Seth and me except for a really great friendship."

"Great huh?" he grunted.

I rolled my eyes again. This was tiring. "Yes, great. He is becoming a really close friend. One of my best."

"What about Jake?" he wondered sounding a bit harsh.

I let out a breath. _Ouch. Low blow._

"He's still my friend Paul. You know you can have more than one." I sneered, jumping off the counter and making my way up the stairs.

I was getting really tired of his assumptions and stupid comments; it was pissing me off.

"Bella, wait." He said, walking to the stairs.

I turned around, already half way up and looked at him.

"What Paul?"

He let out a breath and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry; you know your life better than I do. I just can't help it Bella, I feel so protective of you."

My eyes softened. "I get that. I do. And I'm glad you're all protective and big brother like, but could you just lay off a little. It's starting to piss me off."

He let out a chuckle and nodded. "I will try. Promise."

We smiled at each other, before Paul went off to order us a carry out and I went to my room.

Painting was finally done and everything was hung.

I cleaned up all of the tools and paint supplies. Tomorrow I was going to start decorating this house. Jake was right, it was kind of boring and lifeless.

"B! Foods here!" he called.

"Coming!" I yelled back.

I ran down the stairs and was hit with the smell of Chinese.

_Yummy._ I thought, and then joined Paul in the kitchen.


	7. Chapter 7

The night was quite and silent. Paul had finished helping me move my furniture back to its place and then gone to bed early because he needed to be at the station early.

I walked over to my desk and opened my laptop. My printer and laptop had already been all set up and connected thanks to Paul. He also did that right before he went to bed.

I plugged in my pink Sony camera and waited to upload my pictures.

As they flashed by on the screen, I smiled.

Within minutes, my favorites were printed and being put into frames.

It was pitch black outside, with stars shining bright in the sky. I breathed in the outside air from my window and got ready for bed.

Within minutes, I was tucked in my brand new sheets and out sleeping.

I was up the next morning around 9. Skipping down the stairs and into the kitchen, I found another note posted on the fridge.

_Went in early, (as you know.)_

_Be home around 4pm again. _

_Try and leave a note if you go anywhere plez?_

_Love you._

_Your Brother,_

_Paul_

I posted it back on the fridge, behind the one he left yesterday.

There was a box of cereal in the pantry and some orange juice in the fridge.

So after I was done with my breakfast, I headed upstairs and got out my stuff to make this home actually look like a home.

I was looking all over for pictures to fill for the frames but couldn't find anywhere.

So I pulled out my phone and texted Paul.

_Hey, where are some pictures and stuff?_

_-B_

I got a response sooner than I thought._ Must be a slow day._

_Look in the coat closet. The 1 next 2 the kitchen. They may be in there. But why, what r u looking for?_

_-P_

I responded while walking to the jacket closet.

_Just doing some stuff. Thanks!_

_-B_

I found the boxes of photos on the top shelf and went on my tip toes to pull them down.

"Eek!" I squealed.

There was a huge daddy long legs spider crawling on the box.

I dropped the box and ran off to find something to kill it with.

After the gross spider was dead I blew some dust off the box and looked though the pictures.

They started with Paul as a baby and went up from there.

I knew both of his parents died when he was in his teens, which is why there were a lot of missing gaps throughout the years.

Soon, I found was I was looking for. There were bunches of pictures with the rest of the guys and Emily.

I made sure to hang up a little of both, but also saved some frames to hang up when I had photos with them.

After hours of hard work, this place looked like home.

I moved around the furniture and made the kitchen more homely. I even started making dinner.

Everything was almost done and just in time for Paul.

"Hey B! I'm….home." he said, looking at the place.

"Whoa." He said, closing the door and looking all around.

"Hey my brother." I laughed, taking a picture of his face.

He blinked a few times from the flash and then looked at me. "Look at this place. It looks…great."

I let out a sigh of relief. That was my only worry when I was changing up everything.

"Glad you liked it." I smirked.

The oven beeped and I walked into the kitchen.

"You hungry?" I called taking the garlic bread out of the oven, as he set down his stuff.

"Yea, starved." He said walking in the kitchen to sit down.

I put everything on the table and then we started eating.

"Damn B. This is good." He moaned with his mouth full of food.

I laughed a little, taking a sip of my lemonade. "Thanks."

"So how was your day?" I asked him.

"Good." He swallowed. "A little while later after you called, there was a fire by your old man's place."

My headshot up from my spaghetti and I looked at him concerned. "Don't worry, no one was in the house and your pop's place is fine." I let out a sigh of relief and looked at Paul. His stature changed and he looked…angry. "

Sam is going to be looking after it for a while, just till they figure out what happened and stuff."

I gave him a curious look. "The same Sam that took away Jared?"

He nodded, almost trembling. "Yup. Sam Uley." He sneered.

I was stunned at his harshness.

"Who is he exactly? I can look after Charlie's house if it makes you feel better."

His vibrating stopped and he looked at me. "That's nice of you Bella, but its ok. The police are going to handle it."

"So Sam works at the Forks Police station." I concluded.

He sighed and nodded. "Yup. He is a cop."

"How old is he? He can't be that old if he's hanging with Jared right?" I guessed.

Paul set his fork down and looked at me. "He's 22, so I guess he's not too old."

"What's your guy's beef with him anyways? I mean I know he took your friend, but is he really that bad of a guy?"

I felt bad for asking so many questions, but I didn't get it. If he was a cop then wasn't he supposed to be a little nice?

"He went to our high school and was a pretty cool guy. But then one day he just totally dropped off the face of the earth. Then one day, he popped back on the radar. Quit high school and became a cop. Ever since he left he went from a cool guy to a total jackass. It's like he thinks he runs this town."

Paul was shaking again and I didn't know what to do. It was like he didn't even know he was doing that.

I walked to his seat and hugged him.

"Thanks Sis." He said.

I let go and nodded, then stole the last piece of garlic bread off his plate.

"Heyyy." He whined. I laughed and tantalized him with his bread.

"Sucks to be you." I said and walked back to my seat.

His eyes glared and then he stood up and walked over to me.

I swallowed the last bite and looked at him_. What was he going to do?_

He picked me up, putting me over his shoulder and walked to the living room.

"Paul!" I shouted upside down.

"You big goof. Put me down! I just ate. I'm probably going to go hurl now."

He laughed and swatted my ass.

"Hey!" I protested, lifting myself up a little.

He plopped me on the couch and tickled me.

"Paul...Paul...Stop! Ahahaha….Paul!" I shouted in-between giggles.

"That's for taking my bread." He pointed and got off of me.

I rolled my eyes. "Geez, a girl takes one little piece of bread and this is what she gets."

"Damn straight." He said while I giggled.

He patted my leg and got up off the couch. "Stay here, I will clean up. You did enough today."

I smiled at him as he walked out of the room.

My eyes were closed and I felt peaceful just lying on the couch.

Suddenly there was a huge bang and I heard plates and silverware falling.

Pushing myself up, I went to see what was wrong.

Paul was now kneeling on the floor; plates, silverware, and cups were splattered all over the floor.

I bent down and helped him pick up everything.

"What were you doing?" I asked incredulous. He made a huge mess.

"Trying to take the plates to the sink." He muttered, not very happy.

I let out a small chuckle. "Hey Paul, Piece of advice from your sister. Don't quit your day job...a-" A piece of spaghetti was thrown at my face and I ate it laughing at his embarrassment. "-and don't ever become a waiter."

He threw more food at me, which I threw back. Soon we were full out having a food fight.

The kitchen table was turned sideways, as a shield, to hide me; while Paul was using the refrigerator door.

The extra pots of spaghetti noodles and sauce were now being used ammo.

"Give up." Paul commanded as he stuck his head out from the side of the fridge.

"Never!" I shouted back, quickly ducking as a clump of spaghetti came flying at me.

It hit the window with a thud and I found Jake looking inside with a raised eyebrow.

He continued to walk to the door and I knew what I had to do.

I grabbed my clump of spaghetti and got ready to throw it at him before running to Jake.

The front door began to open, and Paul was distracted enough not to see my spaghetti clump coming.

"Ahhh!" I yelled as I threw it and ran.

It hit Paul directly in the face.

"Hey Jake." I said, watching Paul wipe off the spaghetti.

"Oh, you're in for it now B." he growled getting a mush of spaghetti ready for me.

"Hey?" he said quite confused.

Paul was silent. Too silent. I turned to see the lump of spaghetti coming for me.

I screamed and hid behind Jake. I pushed him so he was covering most of me and heard a smack.

I looked over to him and found the spaghetti had hit him square in the chest.

Jake was in this now.

"Run!" I yelled and took his hand over to my fort.

Paul was throwing the food like crazy and Jake and I were getting pretty messy.

I slid on some sauced noodles and went flying backwards. I hit Jake who also went back flying with me.

"Ooof." I called, loosing my breath.

"You ok Bella? Jake?" Paul called from behind the fridge.

"Yea." I panted and looking over to Jake. He was trying to catch his breath and looking at me.

"Welcome to the McGrath home." I smiled.

Jake's eyes widened and I was too slow. I shut my eyes as something flew towards me. It hit me square in the forehead. _Bull's-eye_. I muttered to myself.

I looked down to see a carrot lying right next to my face.

"A carrot, really?" I asked as he stuck his head out of the fridge.

Another clump of spaghetti came flying at us and we quickly pulled ourselves up, hiding behind the table.

"Well it was in the salad." He laughed.

"Ugh, I'm not cooking food anymore." I groaned.

The boys laughed and we continued our fight. We both ended up running out of food and calling a draw.

"You both look like you just swam in the dumpster." Paul laughed. I looked at Jake and he looked at me. We had spaghetti all in our hair and some were stuck in our shirt. Some of the noodles were lying on his shoulder, all saucy and sticky.

We tuned back to Paul and he didn't look much better. "Hey, you don't look to much better." I told him, patting his shoulder.

He stopped laughing and rolled his eyes.

We cleaned the kitchen for awhile. Jake left in the middle of it, saying he was just supposed to be checking up on everything.

I yawned as we washed the floor and Paul looked at me.

"Go take a shower and head to bed. I can finish up here."

"Are you sure?" I asked, feeling my eyes droop a little.

"Yea, I can handle it."

I nodded, getting up from the floor and walking upstairs.

I grabbed my toiletries and towels and went for the bathroom.

Spaghetti noodles were all over me; my shoulders, arms, head, hair and legs.

I pulled some of them off, dumping them in the trash and turning on the shower.

My clothes were also covered in tomato sauce. So I stripped them off and stuck them in the sink, reminding myself to wash them later.

The warm beads of water hit my skin as I stood in the shower.

It felt nice and calming.

Tiredness began to hit me so I hurried up and washed my hair and body.

Stepping out of the shower, I felt the cold air hit my skin and give me goosebumps. I changed in my bedroom and tucked myself into bed, waiting for another day to come.


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N: Thanks to xMysticxMoonx for telling me my error!**_

Days went on like this…well except for the food fights.

I took Seth out for his birthday lunch. It wasn't anything special but it was good to see him smile. We laughed like crazy fools and may people give us that 'cute couple' stare.

Before we had to leave so he could get home to celebrate with his family, I gave him a present. He slowly unwrapped it and looked at it shocked.

It was a collage of pictures from the day on the beach. Most of them were of us being silly and looking stupid, but the one of us smiling was in the middle.

"Thank you Bells." He whispered hugging me.

I nodded and kissed his cheek. "Come on, let's get you back."

Seth and I both ended our day with a smile; enjoying each others company.

And since then, Paul didn't like when I was home alone by myself so I hung out with the gang. Paul wasn't home quite a lot, so when I didn't really feel like doing much, Seth gladly came over and joined me. It was the middle of the summer and it was filled with fun and games.

Today, Seth was helping me finish applying to colleges and found it really disinteresting.

"Why do you even have to do this?" he asked, looking at the essay topics I printed out.

I grabbed it from his hand; that was the one I needed.

"Because colleges require it." I mumbled.

"Why?"

"I don't know, they just do." I said, writing down some important info.

"But why?" he whined.

I sighed in frustration and stopped what I was doing.

"Seth, you sound like a 5 year old going through the 'but why' stage. Please, don't take this in offense, but, shut up."

The silence finally followed and I finished what I was doing.

"Alright, I'm done. What should we do now?" I asked, putting away everything.

"I don't know." He said watching me. "Your room?"

I looked at him and nodded. "Sure let's go."

We got up from the table and headed up the stairs.

The picture frames that ascended on the stair wall were now all filled with pictures of us.

Seth and I just hung around and talked for the while being before a door slammed and we got up.

"Paul?" I asked walking to the stairs.

I saw Paul agitated and walk to his room, which was on the first floor next to the coat closet.

"Paul? What's going on?" I asked from the doorway. I watched as he packed a bunch of things in bags.

"Getting out of here." He grunted. My heart started pounding in my chest.

"What do you mean?" I asked panicking.

"Exactly what it means." He snarled.

I gulped and tried again. "Where are you going?"

"To live with Sam."

"Sam? As in Sam Uley? I thought you hated him?" I said shocked.

"Yes Bella. Sam Uley. Problem?" he growled.

"N-no…" I stumbled. _Why was Paul being like this?_

"Good, wouldn't want to piss off the princess." He said, shoving past me and through the door.

"Excuse me?" I asked, now getting angry.

"Oh get off of it Bella. I'm tired of your stupid little games. We aren't some perfect family in some perfect little world. Sorry to 'break your heart'" he said with sarcasm. "But I'm moving on."

Tears welled up in my eyes. Was I really pushing too far?

"What's going on?" Seth asked from the middle of the stairs.

I heard Paul snarl and begin to shake.

"I'm out." He snapped, not looking at me. The door slammed shut, shaking the frame and the walls.

I stared at the door, thinking maybe it was just all a joke; like he was playing a prank on me.

"Bella?" Seth asked softly coming towards me.

"No." I said shaking my head. "He is coming back, I know it."

Tears fell down my face like a waterfall and Seth held me up while I crumbled to the floor and cried.

Everyday since, Seth has been coming over to try and cheer me up. A few times it works. He makes me forget my problems. But whenever he leaves…its like I can't breathe again. Everything hurts inside. Whatever I see or touch, it comes back to him. My brother. Paul.

He took a part of me with him and it kills me inside to feel this weak.

I was sitting on the top of the stairs, watching the door, just like I did everyday. Our friends have been leaving us one by one, which killed me even more inside. My eyes fell on the pictures that cascaded the walls of the stairs. They were with all of us, smiling like fools; having the best time in the world. Then my eyes glanced at the one with Paul and me.

"Damn it Paul." I said and got up, wiping my tears.

I walked down the stairs and checked the mail.

There were two big fat envelopes from some colleges I applied to.

When I got back inside, I opened them up.

'Dear Bella McGrath' it read.

'We are please to announce that you have been accepted to our university. As we have looked upon your acceptance essay and grades, we are also pleased to announce that we would like to offer you a scholarship. Please look below to see the full information. Thank you.'

I looked at the letter, reading it over and over. I was accepted.

Opening the next letter, I found the same thing. I was accepted to both and got scholarships.

I sat down at the table, looking at all the information, still in shock.

When I was done, I found I had almost a full scholarship to an Ivy League school. And another one with a full ride to a university in California.

I rushed up and grabbed the phone. I first called Phil. I hadn't talked to him since I was first moving in.

"Hello?" the gruff voice called.

"Phil?" I asked, sort of yelling. He was somewhere where it was really noisy.

"Bella?" he shouted.

"Yea!" I said.

"Hold on a second." There was shuffling in the background and then it unexpectedly became quite.

"Bella?" he asked.

"Hey Phil!" I greeted, surprisingly cheerful.

"How are you honey?" he cooed.

"I'm…doing ok." I stumbled. "But anyways, today I checked the mail and found out I got accepted to Columbia and UCLA!"

"That's amazing Bella! Congratulations!"

I smiled. It was like a huge rush of excitement. "I got a pretty good scholarship from Columbia. It actually covers most of everything and UCLA I got a full ride." I squealed, sucking in a huge breath.

"Wow, Bella. I knew you could do it." He said proudly. He was about to continue when someone started talking in the background.

"Look Bella, I have to go, but I want to call you later so you can fill me in on everything ok?" he said gently.

I smiled on how much he cared. "Of course Phil. Talk to you later."

I hung up the phone, but dialed Seth's number quickly.

"Hello?" a woman chimed.

"Hi Sue, its Bella. Is Seth there?" I said, barely hiding my excitement.

"Oh hi Bella! You sound happy. Yes, he is here; just let me get him for you."

"Thank you." I sang.

"Hello?" Seth said concerned and serious.

"Hiya Seth." I said full off happiness. God I feel like I'm on drugs.

I laughed at myself.

"Bella? Are you ok?" he said very concerned now.

"I am now. What's up?" I asked. He was being really paranoid.

"Why do you sound so happy?" he asked, avoiding my start of a conversation.

"Welll…." I said dragging the word.

"Bella." He whined.

I laughed and just came out with it.

"I got into Columbia and UCLA!" I shouted.

"What?" he shouted.

I didn't know whether to take it as a happy 'what' or an 'uh oh what'.

"Seriously?" he said giddy.

"Yup! I just got the letters in the mail!"

He let out a cry of excitement.

"Seth, what on earth is going on?" Sue said in the background.

"Bella got into UCLA and Columbia mom!" he said and then turned back to me

"Congrats Bella! We have to go celebrate!"

I laughed and felt my smile widen. "Alright. Where are we going to go?"

"How about the diner that your dad used to take you to when you were little?"

I thought about the place and nodded. "Sure, that place sounds good." I heard shuffling and wondered what he was doing.

"Alright. Meet you there in an hour?"  
"Sure, see you then Seth!" I said excitedly and then hung up the phone.

I rushed upstairs and got ready.

_Finally, I was happy for once._

Just as I was finishing, I looked at the clock and found it was time to go.

I grabbed my bag and was out the door to meet Seth.

I pulled up in the gravel parking lot and saw Seth waiting by his car.

"Hi!" I chimed.

He gave me a bright smile and hugged me to his side. "Hey you."

"So hows it feel to accepted to some great schools? With scholarships I might add?" Seth asked lightly as we walked into the place.

I looked back to him and smiled. "It feels….good." My smile faded away as I turned my head and found the back table filled with my ex- friends.

They all looked up, my voice registering in their mind.

I looked at all of them, taking it in; Embry, Quil, Jake, Leah, Kim, Emily and Paul were all sitting at the table. My eyes fell down to an empty seat, which I guessed was Sam's.

"Bella, we can go somewhere else if you would like." Seth said, shaking my arm.

I broke out of my daze and shook my head. "No, that's ok. We are here now anyways. I'm going to have to face the facts one day." I grumbled to him.

He nodded to me apologetically. The guys were all staring at us which became nerve-wracking.

Seth was staring at them with hatred in his eyes.

I put my hand on his arm and he tore his gaze away. His eyes filled with love and sorrow.

"Say something. Anything, please. Just stop giving them the death glare. It won't help."

He sighed and looked at me. "So what are you getting?"

I laughed. _Wow, smooth move._

"What?" he asked, now smiling up from his menu.

I shook my head and let a grin spread across my face.

"Nothing."

"Bella Swan, are you laughing at me because I asked you what you are getting?"

I couldn't hold back. I let out a giggle. Seth's eyes shined with happiness and began laughing along with my nonsense. A growl echoed through the room and we turned to look at the table.

Paul was shaking and Emily was trying to comfort him.

He stared right at us, his eyes never leaving us. "She's a McGrath." He said to Emily, who was nodding.

I shook my head, looking back at Seth.

_Ignore them._ I thought.

"So what were you doing when I called?"

"Huh?" he asked confused.

"It was like you were getting out of bed or something." I said.

"Yea, I was. I have been pretty tired lately."

"Sorry." I mumbled. It was my fault. He was pretty much at Paul's…I mean my place everyday.

"No it's not your fault. I like spending time with you. I've just been tired."

I nodded and the waitress came to take our orders.

"So did you tell Phil?"

I smiled and nodded with enthusiasm. "Yea, I called him right after I read all the papers. I figured he would just say congrats and hang up."

"And did he?" Seth asked curious.

"Yea, he had to go. But he did say he wanted to call me later to talk about all of the paperwork and stuff."

"I'm happy for you Bells." He smiled.

"Thanks Seth. You know, you helped me get in." I told him.

He raised an eyebrow. "I did?"

I nodded and smiled. "You sat there annoying me death till I made you shut up and let me finish."

I laughed hysterically as he blushed and threw a straw wrapper at me.

"Love you." I cooed.

I growl sounded through the restaurant again, but Seth and I ignored it.

"Yea, yea." He muttered, still shaking his head with laughter.

Our food was served and we continued to talk and eat. We talked about our plans for the school year and what we should do before the summer ends.

"Can we have another photo session?" I smiled happily.

He laughed and beamed. "Of course. Let's do it the day before you leave ok? That way the pictures will be fresh and young looking."

I choked on my food laughing. "Are you saying I'm going to look old when I come back to visit?"

The guys at the back table snickered and I threw them a death glare. They all immediately shut up and looked away.

I noticed Sam had joined them. He was playing with his straw in his pop while talking with Jared, ignoring the guys. Sam had black hair that was buzz cut. He seemed tall and was tan skinned. The black tee he was wearing hugged his muscles in all the right places.

He slowly began tearing his eyes away from Jared, and I quickly looked away.

"I didn't mean you were going to be old looking when you come back. It's just…like a reason to come back ya know? Kind of like a remembrance of the good times."

I nodded and smiled. He really knew how to make my heart melt.

"Seth, as long as you're here, I will always be back. Maybe if you have a break around the same time as mine we could go to my place in Florida."

His eyes lit up like a kid at Christmas. "That sounds amazing Bells."

The table full of our ex- best friends were all silent which I found was weird. Throughout this whole dinner they had some sound effect that was supposed to be like a snarky comment or something.

"So which college are you going to pick?" Seth asked as he paid for the bill.

"Seth, I can pay to ya know!" I said, trying to take my bill.

"Nah, it's my treat. Kind of like a congratulations. You did it type of thing."

I felt my heart melt. He was super sweet. "Thanks Seth, I owe you one."

"Nah, just take me to Florida and we will be even." He laughed.

I chuckled along with him and then headed out the door, not even taking a glance at the guys.

The outside air hit my face and I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding.

"I don't think I have ever wanted to be outside as much as just then." Seth commented with a smile.

I flashed him a grin and nodded.

"Now what?" I asked.

"Hang by the cars for a while?" he shrugged.

"Why not." I mumbled and walked with him.

Our cars were parked right next to each other, so I stuck my keys in the car and turned on some music.

"I love your car." Seth said randomly.

"Why?" I laughed, thinking that was just out of the blue.

"Because, you can hook up your iPod to it and jam to the music. The whole sync thing looks awesome."

Yea, I guess it kind of was. I thought to myself looking at it.

"So you never answered the question, what college are you going to pick?" he asked, leaning against his old beat up mustang.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know. I mean I would love going to an Ivy League school. Apparently they have a great photography and English program. But it would also be really nice to go to UCLA. The sun and weather. It would be like Florida all over again."

He nodded and silence passed us.

The song 'You and Me' by Lifehouse came on and Seth gave me a grin.

My eyes narrowed, trying to figure out what he was going to do.

"Would you like to dance Ms. Swan?"

I blushed and looked around. "Seth, this is a parking lot."

He rolled his eyes and waited for me to take his hand.

"And I'm Seth Clearwater. Thank you for stating the obvious. Now dance with me?" he asked sweetly.

I laughed and went with it.

_Why not?_ I asked myself.

We danced together, laughing and spinning.

Seth's arms wrapped around me and I relaxed, leaning my body against his. Being with Seth made me feel free and like I could be myself.

The song ended and I lifted my head up from his shoulder. "Thank you for the dance, ol' chap." I said with an accent.

He laughed which rumbled in his chest and made me feel like I was invincible.

"Any time." He gave me a wink and then let me go.

'Crazy in Love' by Beyonce and Jay- Z came on and Seth and I started dancing.

We sang her song in the middle of the parking lot, Seth rapping to the beat.

I laughed as he tried to actually rap a beat. He sounded like he was trying to imitate a choo-choo train.

"Got me looking so crazy right now, you're loves got me looking so crazy right now." We sang.

The song ended and we were both panting for breath. Between laughing and singing, it was quite a rush.

We stood by our cars just singing to 'Hate This Part' by the PCD (Pussycat Dolls)

"The world slows down but my heart beats fast right now  
I know this is the part where the end starts

I can't take it any longer  
Thought that we were stronger  
All we do is linger  
Slipping through our fingers  
I don't want to try now  
All that's left is goodbye to  
Find a way that I can tell you  
I hate this part right here  
I hate this part right here  
I just can't take your tears  
I hate this part right here" I sang.

I looked over to Seth and saw him smiling at me.

"What?" I asked, finding myself grinning along with him.

"You've got a good voice Bells."

I blushed like a tomato and his laughter boomed loudly.

"Shut up." I teased, shoving his arm. He smiled and then waited for the next few words.

"I can't take it any longer  
Thought that we were stronger  
All we do is linger  
Slipping through our fingers  
I don't want to try now  
All that's left is goodbye to  
Find a way that I can tell you

But I gotta do this  
I gotta do it  
I gotta do it  
I hate this part

I gotta do it  
I gotta do it  
I gotta do it

I hate this part right here  
I hate this part right here  
I just can't take these tears  
I hate this part right here" Seth sang, not sounding too bad.

He smiled at the end and I knew he wasn't taking this seriously.

Next played 'Walking on Sunshine.' By Aly and AJ.

"I'm walking on sunshine. Woaaah! I'm walking on sunshine Woaaah! And don't it feel good?" Seth and I sang.

He twirled me around again and we continued to sing.

"I used to think maybe you love me, I know that it's true  
And I don't wanna spend all of my life just waiting for you (just waiting for you)  
Now I don't want you back for the weekend, not back for a day, no, no, no  
Baby I just want you back and I want you to stay"

He twirled me again as the chorus hit and held me in his arms.

I felt as he went frozen and I looked to the source. It was Paul and the gang.

Sam was no one in sight again. _Ironic. _I thought.

Paul was growling and vibrating. It reminded me like the time in the kitchen.

Seth stood me up and we all stood across from each other. Seth and I were outnumbered, that was a given, but it didn't stop us from looking.

I watched as Paul growled even more and Emily was taken back behind the guys.

_What was with Paul?_

I looked from Leah, to Quil, and then Embry, and lastly to Jake.

I bit my lip not wanted to shed tears with them around. Jake never even said anything about leaving me. He just left like the rest of them.

"Come on Seth." I said, tugging at his wrist. He wasn't budging. He just stood there with anger.

"Please Seth, come on." I begged. Tears were evident in my eyes and he looked down at my pained face.

Just as he was about to go, Paul had to make a comment.

"Yea, go with your boyfriend Bella. Still 'just friends' huh?" he shook with anger and sarcasm.

My head whipped to him and I snapped. "You have no right. No right at all to be apart of my life anymore. You drew that line the day you left. So don't try to antagonize me. Im not going to stand here and explain it to you, or shed a tear for you, begging you to come. Cause I'm done." I said forcefully. Anger was boiling inside me.

_How dare he._

He growled and stepped close to my face. The guys started to hold him back, but he inched as close as he could to me. I stood my ground and stared him in the eyes.

I saw right past his anger and found hurt and sorrow. I felt disgusted inside.

"Paul." A man said with a very deep and controlling voice.

I bowed my head and lowered my eyes. Seth pulled me back but continued to shake. I glanced at them and found Sam talking with Jake.

I scoffed at the scene and turned my back to them.

"Let's get out of here Seth." I said.

"Bella, we took separate cars remember?" Seth said, looking over my shoulder to them.

He let out a growl and I raised my eyebrow. The guys went silent as Sam and Paul stepped forward.

"Don't you dare come any closer." Seth growled to Paul and then glared at Sam.

I didn't look behind me. I just focused on Seth.

"Seth." I whispered, putting a hand on his firm chest. His heart was beating against my hand faster than I thought was humanly possible.

"It's ok Seth. Seth. Seth! Look at me." I said sternly.

His eyes went from the guys to me. I watched him; my eyes filled with passion and care. Seth's body unclenched and he let out a breath.

I took his hand and was shocked. "You're burning up Seth."

Paul came over and grabbed my shoulder.

"Stay away from him Bella." He said, watching Seth get angry again.

Anger hit me and my fists clenched.

"Don't…tell….me…what….to do." I said fuming.

He looked at me, his eyes becoming slits.

"This is none of your business Bella, now butt out." He commanded.

I pulled Paul's arm and he faced me. We were both angry now. Beyond angry.

Without thinking, I slapped him against the cheek. It may have hurt me and it may have not. I didn't know. The anger was too fresh and open that I didn't feel any pain.

"Don't you DARE tell me what to do. Or I swear to the heavens Paul, you will regret it." I threatened and pushed my way past all the people I once knew, making it back to Seth.

"Come on Seth. Let me drive you home." I said softly.

He shook his head. "I'm ok Bella, really. I'm just going to go home and rest."

I sighed, walking him to the car. "Are you sure? I don't mind taking you home. I can even drop you off at your house and we can get your car another time."

He shook his head and gave me a small smile. Seth was getting really pale and sweating profusely.

I ran my hand over the side of his face and nodded. "Alright. Call me as soon as you get home. I want to make sure you got home safe."

"Will do." He said weakly.

I kissed his cheek and watched as he drove away.

All the guys were still standing by my car, including Sam.

I pushed my way past all of them, not making eye contact.

Unlocking the car, I got in and hurriedly drove off.


	9. Chapter 9

It's been a few days since I heard from Seth and I was getting worried.

The guys must have really got to him when we went out to lunch.

Sue did call me a little while later saying Seth wanted to call me but was too sick to get to the phone.

I felt horrible. I told her to tell him I hope he gets better and call as soon as he could.

My leg shook up and down as I stared at the phone, hoping he would call.

Seth was the only thing that kept me going. Ever since all the guys left and joined Sam's little cult, he was the one that I only truly cared for. He was like the light in my mess of darkness.

Another 20 minutes passed by, and then another 45 and I was still staring at the phone.

As I got up from my seat, I felt empty.

Seth wasn't going to be calling.

I plopped on the couch and wrapped a blanket around myself. Waiting for sleep to succumb me was the only thing I have been doing these past few days.

_I have no one._ Was my last thought as I finally fell asleep.

The next day and the day after that was the same. No call and no visits.

When I wrapped the blanket around myself again and stared at the blank screen of the tv, I huffed.

_Stop this Bella. Wallowing in self pity is doing you no good. _

I got up from the couch and went to my room.

_They aren't coming back. None of them are. Get used to it._

I changed out of my and got ready to run some errands.

_Move on. Go out. Do something! _

I put my hair in a messy bun and then skipped down the stairs. Grabbing the keys off the table, I was out the door and in my car in a matter of minutes.

_Move on. That's what they've been doing._

I drove to the store and got out of the car.

'Packaging supplies sold here!' read the sign.

I went in, getting a few things, and then asking for about 15 boxes.

"Moving?" the woman asked me who looked like she was in her late 40's.

"Yup, time for a change."

She handed me the boxes, and smiled. "Well have fun, and enjoy the adjustment."

I gave her a nod and was off.

It was about lunch time, so I pulled off the road and into Sue's diner. As I walked into the place, I thought of everything I would pack and need to get before I left.

It was a Tuesday, so there would be no chance of running into anyone.

I walked in the door, the bell signaling I was here.

When I looked straight ahead I found the guys sitting at a long table near the end of the room.

_Great._ I groaned to myself. I thought about turning back now, but instead I sucked in a breath and moved along.

I made my way over to the take out counter, not caring if they saw me or not.

"Bella?" Sue called, making her way back from the guys table

I looked over at her and smiled. "Hey Sue."

My eyes flickered to the table and found Seth staring right at me with guilty eyes. Pain flickered in my heart, but I turned away.

_The damage was done Bella._ I told myself. _He chose his side, and I chose mine._

The young brunette took my order and then told me it would be just a few moments.

I nodded and sat down at one of the empty booths.

I looked down at the placemat, still making a list of what I had to do.

A body slid into the seat across from me and I shut my eyes in pain, knowing who it was.

"Go away." I commanded.

"Bella…" Seth said in a pleading voice.

I shook my head and looked at him. "I don't want to hear it Seth. You made your choice. So stick with it."

"Bella?" The waitress called with my order, I swiftly took it and turned to head out.

"Wait, please Bella." Seth said, standing in my way.

"What?" I snapped. Being around him made the darkness come back, and this time, there was no light to help me get through it.

"It's not about choosing. There is no choice to make."

I swallowed, getting the courage to look at him. "Then answer me this; the day we went out to celebrate my acceptance; at the end of the night, when you went home…did you ever think? At all? About what was going to happen? Whenever you thought about joining the rest of the gang over there and leaving me…did you ever think how it affected me?" he swallowed hard and I gave him a knowing stare. I needed to know how I felt.

"When they all began leaving, you were the only one keeping me afloat. I thought that," I swallowed, tears in my throat. "As long as I had you, everything would be ok. But then I lost you Seth. You vanished and left me alone. So I fended for myself. I stood up on my own two feet, not letting anyone help me. And guess what Seth? I got up. And I'm moving on."

"Bella." He cried with hurt as I pushed past him. "It's ok Seth. I understand why you are going with them, and I don't blame you. You have known them longer, and they are you're friends. In some twisted way, maybe I still am your friend, but it's ok. I get it."

"Bella…" Jake said with sympathy, coming up to stand by Seth.

"But you know what sucks?" I asked the two of them, letting out a dry laugh.

"Is that no matter how good life can get, there is always a downfall."

"That's not true Bella." Leah said coming up next to Jake, entwining her hand with his.

It reminded me of the way Seth and I used to do that. I shook my head and let a tear fall.

"It is, and I learned it the hard way Leah. I watched as you all left. And no matter how big the downfall was, I ignored it; and it hurt. But what hurt the most is how much I trusted all of you. I thought…I just thought I could be something more than just Bella Swan with all of you…"

I heard someone suck in a deep breath, which I was guessing was Paul. I didn't mean to be mean, but I just wasn't cut out to be a McGrath, especially after this.

"Please Bella, you can't leave like this." Seth begged again, grabbing my wrist. The diner was silent and chairs skidded across the floor.

Even through blurry, teary eyes I knew it was the guys trying to protect Seth from me.

I let out a shaky breath and did something that hurt me the most. I looked at him. Like really looked at him.

I memorized his face, his body, and how his hand felt against my skin.

"It's ok Seth. I can handle it." I kissed him on the cheek and tugged my hand out of his grip and walked out of the diner.

When I got outside, I let out the sob I had been holding.

It wasn't fair.

_Life isn't fair._ The voice in my head reminded me.

I opened the car door and plopped the carry out on the passenger seat.

My head rested on the steering wheel as I tried to calm myself down.

When the sobs died down, I buckled my seatbelt, turned the keys in the ignition and was off.

I got home looking like a wreck. I didn't feel any stronger, or like a weight was lifted off my shoulder.

All that stuff was crap.

I ate in silence at the table and then went out to the car to grab my things.

All the cardboard boxes were now in my room and ready to be folded to hold things.

Box after box I folded and finally passed out on my bed tired.

Sleep hit me hard and I passed out for the night.

I woke up the next day to the phone ringing.

"Bella?" Phil asked.

"Hey Phil." I said with my voice still thick with sleep and tears.

"Did you just get up?"

"Yea, sorry."

"Are you ok? Its already 2pm. Maybe you should go see a doctor." He panicked.

"Dad, its ok. I just had a late and busy day yesterday. What's up?" I needed to change the subject or I was going to break down in tears with Phil on the phone.

"Well, I just wanted to talk to you about the colleges."

I nodded and began the whole college conversation.

After about 2 hours on the phone with him, we decided that I would go to Columbia.

I was supposed to be at campus in about 2 weeks, since classes started a few days after that.

I talked with Phil and told him right when I was done packing I would head out. Driving would be the best situation, even though it was practically across the whole United States because I had so many personal things I wanted for my dorm.

"Alright Bella, I think that wraps everything up. Sorry I couldn't call sooner. It's been crazy out here."

I gave a fake laugh. "It's not a problem. Don't worry. I will talk to you later ok? I'm going to go finish packing."

He nodded and then we hung up.

My room was done and packed just an hour after the phone call. I looked around and felt like I was leaving another piece of my heart.

The room was bare except for the paint I painted on the walls. Walking out, I shut the door behind me, just how it was before.

I took the extra boxes and began stuffing the pictures I had hung up on the walls. It was time Paul came back to his own place.

I was practically done erasing any trace of me in the house. I had to move the furniture back, but I would do that tomorrow.

Yogurt was about the only thing left in the fridge. I grabbed the last one and knew I would have to be gone tomorrow.

Looking around the place one last time, I let tears drip down my face.


	10. Chapter 10

The next day, I moved the furniture back how he had it and put my boxes in the car. I had a long drive ahead of me.

The only thing I was etching to do was visit the beach one last time.

I looked at my cell phone and found it was almost 9am.

_Ehh, just for a second._ I told myself.

I made my way down the sandy shore and let the waves hit cover my feet with think goopy sand. The winds were present, but they were just soft and comforting.

"Bella?" a voice asked.

I turned around and moved the hair out of my face.

There stood Sam Uley in all his glory.

He had on a pair of cut off jeans. No top or shoes. His facial expression when he fully looked at me was…love? I looked at him curious.

No… it couldn't be….could it?

I shook my head._ Nice try Bella. But this is Sam Uley... He took your friends remember?_

"Sam." I muttered, turning away from him and putting on a game face.

As strange as this sounded…I felt…I don't know. There was this weird feeling between us. Like I was beginning to like him.

_But he took your friends! _I reminded myself_. He took away Jake, then Embry, and Quil, Leah, Kim and lastly Seth._

"Bella, look, I can't imagine how hard this must be on you…but I would really like-…"

I huffed. "Your right Sam, you can't imagine. So please don't make it any worse. Just…go away." I said with pain.

I wasn't feeling pain because I though of the guys, but because I told Sam to go away.

_What the hell?_

"Bella…I'm so sor-…"

"Don't even finish that sentence." I growled.

He looked at me shocked. Apparently he didn't get bossed around very often.

"If you were ever 'sorry' Sam, then you would have fixed this. You wouldn't have let my friends tear away from me one by one; and you sure as hell wouldn't have taken Seth away from me."

I turned back and began walking away. I looked over my shoulder one last time, finding Sam still frozen in his place

"Tell Paul he can have his house back, I don't want it anymore." I yelled and was off.

I drove everyday and most nights. Sleep wasn't my number one priority right now.

**-SAMS POV-**

As I was out patrolling, I saw that girl, Bella, which the whole pack seemed to love and miss.

Quickly, I phased and then put on some cut offs.

I walked down to where she was standing and called to make sure it was her.

"Bella?" I asked.

She froze and then looked at me.

_Shit. I thought to myself._

I felt something shift in me and felt my heart melt into goo.

_I just imprinted._

Suddenly, all the guilt I had felt for her these past few weeks piled up and hit me like a ton of bricks.

She responded, saying my name in a monotone voice.

_I guess I deserve that one._

I didn't know what to say, so I winged it.

"Bella, look, I can't imagine how hard this must be on you…but I would really like-…"

I felt like I was rambling and she cut me off with a huff. My heart pounded in my chest. This wasn't going very good.

"Your right Sam, you can't imagine. So please don't make it any worse. Just…go away."

Pain laced her voice and I felt overly guilty.

"Bella…I'm so sor-…"

She cut me off again and growled. I stood there shocked. Did she just growl at me?

"Don't even finish that sentence." Her eyes narrowed to slits.

"If you were ever 'sorry' Sam, then you would have fixed this. You wouldn't have let my friends tear away from me one by one; and you sure as hell wouldn't have taken Seth away from me."

I sighed. _Yup, I definitely deserved that one too._

She turned back and walked to the house. She looked over her shoulder one last time though and yelled to me.

"Tell Paul he can have his house back, I don't want it anymore."

When she was out of sight, I stripped down and immediately phased.

I ran as quickly as possible to my house.

When I walked inside, everyone was sitting in my living room with the TV on. Seth was still moping and upset, while Jake looked guilty.

"Sam?" Jared asked as I slammed the door.

All eyes were on me and I froze up.

_Fuck, I just imprinted on Paul's sister._

"Dude, you ok?" Paul asked dully.

"I-I…I just imprinted on Bella."

The room gasped and then went silent.

Before I knew it, Paul had me by the color shoved up against the door.

"Do you mean to fucking tell me that if you would have seen my little sister the time we turned wolf, she would have been here right now?" he growled.  
"yes." I said shocked.

He slammed by body against the wall and I had enough. "Get off of me Paul." I commanded.

He grinded his teeth; his body was forcing him to let do.

"What did you say? Did you tell her? We need to go talk to her." Seth said scrambling out of his chair.

I cleared my throat and looked at Paul. "Before she left the beach, she told me to tell you that you can have the house back. She doesn't want it anymore. Her words not mine." I said holding my hands in the air as he felt tempted to push me against the door again.

"Shit." Seth said and ran to the door.

"Move!" he yelled and ran to Paul's place.

Everyone followed, including me. Seth was running faster than I had ever seen possible.

When we got to the house, Seth opened the door and we all gasped.

The house was empty and bare. Tears formed in Seth's eyes as he looked all around.

"No." he whispered. "No, no, no, no." he shook his head and yelled.

He ran up the stairs and into his room. Leah followed him, worried for her little brother.

"Bella!" he cried in pain.

We heard a thud and all ran to go check it out.

We found the door ajar in Bella's room and it empty.

Seth was on the floor crying while Leah was there comforting him.

I swallowed hard and nodded to the guys to let Seth have his moment alone with Leah.

Paul was still standing at the door, a mask covering his face.

His eyes scanned the whole place. He took a glance in the kitchen and then the family room.

"The furniture is back how I had it before she moved it." He said to me.

I stood there silent. This wasn't good.

Jake and Paul walked up the stairs and paled. "It was like she erased everything that resembled her." Jake chocked.

Paul paled even more and kept walking up to her room.

When he got there he lost it. Tears flew down his eyes and he touched the walls.

They were the only reminder left of Bella.

"Guys, you might want to come see this." Embry said quietly, breaking the moment.

We all waked down the stairs, including Seth and Leah.

Paul followed Embry into the kitchen and we saw Quil standing by the fridge.

"She left a note." He muttered.

But before Paul took it he ran his fingers over the notes he once left Bella.

"She…kept them all on the fridge." He sniffled.

Without another word, he took the note off the fridge and read it.

_Dear Paul and anyone else, who reads this,_

_By now I will be on my way to college. I accepted the scholarship to Columbia and driving there._

_But before you stop reading this, I wanted to say I'm sorry. For whatever I did to get you all upset or turn away from me, I truly didn't mean to._

_I am also especially sorry for the way I treated you at Sue's Diner. I shouldn't have acted like that, no matter how upset I was. _

_Paul, I am so sorry for the way I have acted as a sister. I shouldn't have come out and burdened you with my life. _

_All of you, please, take care of yourselves and keep going on with your lives just like you did before I arrived._

_I made sure to clean up and put everything back the way it was. _

_I also bought some cans of white paint and put them in room I slept in, in case you wanted to repaint the walls._

_Hope you all can take in my forgiveness one day._

_~Bella_

He tossed the note and covered his eyes with his hands. Emily tried comforting him, but he just pushed her away and walked out of the house.

Seth grabbed the note and quickly read it.

Tears came to his eyes and he threw the note.

"No!" he shouted with such emotion.

"It wasn't her fault!" He cried, kicking the bottom of the counters with his foot.

The wood splintered and he sobbed.

"Shh, it's ok Seth." Leah whispered while hugging him.

As soon as she said those words, he retracted from her touch.

"Nothing will ever be ok again Leah. Bella left because she thought she was hurting us! She feels guilty because she thought it was her!" he let out a breath that seemed to come out as a sob. He was falling into pieces. "But that wasn't the truth…"

"We left her because we had to keep a secret." He whined.

"I should have screwed your orders!" Seth began yelling at me.

"If I would have told her…"

"There was no way you could have done that." Leah sighed, trying to comfort him again.

"I could have tried. Don't you see? She could have been here right now and we wouldn't have been in this whole mess."

"Dude, she was going to college anyways." Quil said, trying to make him feel better.

"And she was going to visit!" Seth yelled. Everyone winced.

"I know you all heard her at the restaurant. She was going to come back. She was going to come back for me." He cried.

"Seth, dude. Come on, hold it together." Jake said slapping a hand on his back in a manly way.

Seth's eyes flickered and tears fell harder. "Get off me!" He yelled to Jake and walked out of the kitchen.

As he looked up the stairs his eyes flickered again. He didn't even make it up one stair. All he did was turn around and walk out the door.

We found Paul standing outside, sobbing and tugging at his hair. It was like he was having a melt down.

Seth looked out towards the beach and then all of us. He spoke softly this time, barely even a whisper.

"She trusted me ya know. Like really trusted me. I guess I didn't really give her a reason not to before I changed, but she told me everything, just like I did with her."

"And we always had fun. Even when she said she was in a bad mood, she was still so great to be around." He sniffled and glared at Paul.

"And every time we were together you seemed to have a problem. Every fucking time!" he yelled. Paul began to tremble and we all backed Seth and Paul away.

"Seth, calm down." I ordered.

"Calm down?" he said looking incredulous.

"How am I supposed to calm down when I just lost my best friend?" he shouted.

"Hey, she was our friend too man." Embry said defending everyone.

"Oh really?" said Seth. He seemed to be a real hot head today.

"Did you know she blames herself for her mother's death? Or why she moved out here? Do you know that she had nightmares every night till she moved out here and met me? Did you know that? Did you?" he yelled.

Embry shook his head and bowed in sorrow.

"Exactly. You weren't there. You all never were. You weren't there to help her fill out college applications or paint her room. You weren't there to bond with her and be a BEST friend to her."

He let out a deep breath as he continued to shake furiously.

"You were never there to make her laugh or make her smile. And you all definitely weren't there to pick her up and cradle her when Paul left her. Because if you were, your hearts would have all be breaking and you would have felt totally helpless like I did." He let out a hiss and fisted his hands.

"You. All. Were. Never. There. So never ever say she was a friend to you too like she was to me, because she wasn't"

He was so close to phasing and Kim and Emily were still around.

"Seth, calm down." I commanded again.

He looked at me and almost popped a vessel. "Don't you dare start with me Sam. Do you know what you have done?" Seth asked, poking a finger in my chest. I moved back a little, but he kept coming closer.

Leah grabbed his arm but he sent her the most ferocious glare she backed away.

"You….you broke her. You broke ME!"

Tears formed in Seth's eyes again and I felt truly sorry.

"I won't be able to see her beautiful white smile again, or hear her amazing laugh. She won't be at Paul's house up in her room singing and dancing to music or painting her walls. I won't be able to get to drag her away from the kitchen or the house as she protests with laughter or dance with her in parking lots. We won't be taking anymore silly pictures or watching the sun set holding hands. She will never be here again."

It was like he was facing the facts himself. "I broke all of my promises to her. We were supposed to do so many things, just the two of us. And now…she's gone- because of this. And that's on you." He gritted and then phased into a wolf.

Pain was etched on his face and he ran into the woods, howling in pain.

Paul gazed at the woods and pulled his hair, walking to the woods.

"Paul." I said.

"Leave me alone for a while Sam." He said, his voice wavering. He drifted from everyone and walked to the beach.

**-BELLAS POV-**

I'm beat. I stopped at some nice hotel and checked in for the night. It's almost been a complete day since I left everyone behind.

My heart is slowly sinking, but I will recover. I will make sure I do.

Night has fallen and I slip into bed, turning off the lap while hoping each day will get better.

**-SAMS POV-**

The rest of us sat at Paul's place just waiting for Seth and Paul to come back. It was eerie. The walls were bare and blank.

_She did a really good job of erasing herself._ I thought.

Paul walked into the house, shutting the door behind him.

We all stood up and he looked at us.

Watery tears filled his eyes and he went to Emily. She rocked him on the couch as he cried in her arms.

Slowly, we left, leaving everyone by themselves.

**-BELLAS POV- **_**(Set 6 years later)**_

I walked down the stage, smiling like a fool. I had just graduated from UCLA.

You may ask how this is possible, so let me tell you.

I went to Columbia, yes, and within 4 years I had my degree. I majored in photography and got a teaching certificate.

Then I went of to UCLA and got my masters degree with English as my minor.

"Bella Swan." The man called.

I smiled, walking on stage to take the diploma and shake the man's hand.

"Congratulations." He smiled.

I nodded and looked over to see Phil in the crowd standing up and whistling.

I laughed, feeling a blush come on as all his team mates were there too whistling and smiling.

Walking off the stage I thanked the heavens I didn't trip.

Sitting back in my seat, I pulled out my phone and texted Phil.

_What are they all doing here?_

_~B_

My phone vibrated and I looked down.

_They wanted to see their baby girl graduate. =)_

_-P_

I laughed and blushed; looking back to they all were. All of the guys on the team waved and smiled at me. I gave a small wave back and texted Phil.

_Way to embarrass me._

_~B_

I heard them all try to hide a laugh by coughing, but that caused an old grumpy teacher to look at them and narrow her eyes.

When the ceremony was over I ran over to the team.

"Bella!" they all chimed.

"Hey everyone!"

I gave a round of hugs to the massive men and then went to Phil. He was the small one on the team.

"Congratulations!" he smiled.

"Thanks." I blushed.

"You have one smart kid on your hands Phil." Ty laughed.

I blushed even harder which caused all of them to start laughing.

"Oh shut up." I muttered.

Ty put his arm around my shoulder and we all walked out the door to celebrate with a dinner.

Ever since I left La Push, I came closer to Phil.

I attended Columbia University and since it's in New York, he and his team visited often. I got to be really close to them. And then when I went to UCLA, it was in California, which was another one of their pit stops.

We went out and got a quick bite to eat before Phil turned to me.

"You should really take that job" he insisted.

I rolled my eyes but he continued. "Look, I know you don't want to go back to La Push, but it's a great job offer Bella. And you never know, you may not run into them for a while."

I sighed_. Damn him. He was always right._

"I'll call tomorrow." I groaned.

He flashed me a grin and hugged me to him. "That's my girl."

Unfortunately, it was the next day. I grabbed my cell phone and called the principal saying I would accept the job.

She sounded really excited and told me I start in a week.

My eyes popped out. A week?

I told Phil and he pushed it off. "It's no problem. We can have the guys help."

I nodded silently laughing. That would definitely be a sight to see. A bunch of tall muscular men moving in my stuff.

Within two days, I was in Forks, at Charlie's old place, unpacking my stuff. Phil was right, it wasn't a problem.

While some of the guys helped me cleaned and dusted, the rest moved in furniture.

They asked me where I wanted everything placed and if it was ok.

Within the day we were done. It was getting late and we just devoured over 10 boxes of pizza.

"Thank you for everything guys." I told them; giving hugs on the way out.

"It was our pleasure Bella." Joe said with his deep voice.

I flashed him a smile and watched them all leave.

When I was off by myself, I stood by the door, taking the place in.

_Man this was going to be weird._


	11. Chapter 11

**-PAULS POV-**

It's been almost 6 years since I lost my sister. 6 fucking long years.

High school was starting today for Collin and Brady, our youngest and newest members of the pack, and they were both excited.

Seth was also starting school…college to be exact. He was taking classes at the University of Washington. He hasn't been the same ever since Bella left.

He is no longer the fun spirited kid we all once knew. He's turned into a mopey sad kid.

We all hung out at Sam's house, chilling till everyone got 'home', I guess you could call it.

Sam hasn't been the same either. Since he imprinted, he seems like he's in pain and looks like…a lost puppy.

Anyways, the boys came home with a bang. Seth must have picked them up and dropped them here.

"How was it Boys?" Emily asked them.

Seth grunted and turned on the TV. I slapped him on the back of the head and growled.

"Show some respect."

Seth sighed and looked up to Emily. "It was good-school is school."

She nodded. It was better than a grunt.

"And you two?" she asked Collin and Brady.

"It was awesome!" Brady exclaimed.

"Yea we even have a class together." Collin said.

"Oh, what class?" she asked.

"Photography." They said.

"They have that kind of class?" Seth asked, turning away from the TV. We were all shocked to say the least. Usually Seth drowns us out and sits there all day.

"Yea, we got a new teacher this year. She just graduated."

Seth laid there frozen and then shook his head. "What?" I asked him.  
"Thought it might have been Bella." He grunted.

"Why?" I asked. Her name made my heart beat a little faster.

"Because she wanted to go into teaching and photography. Or at least that's what she told me before everything happened."

I nodded and was going to continue when I noticed Collin looked at Seth funny.

"Umm…not to interrupt, but our teachers name is Bella. I mean it's her first name."

Seth darted up and looked at them. "What's her last name?"

"Swan." Collin said, looking at us.

"And isn't it cool? Apparently her dad was the police chief way back when…or well that's what the gossip is on the new teacher."

Seth looked shocked and I just was stunned.

"Sam." I said, still…frozen. She was back?

"I know. I got it covered." He said, talking on the phone.

"Hi. Do you happen to have any information where I can reach Bella Swan?" Sam said nicely.

I listened close and wanted to punch the person on the other line.

"I can give you an email or her work number, but I am not aloud to give out more than that. Security purposes." A woman answered.

Sam grunted and ran a hand through his hair. "Alright, well thank you anyways." He gritted and then slammed the phone down.

We were so close. She was living here for heavens sakes.

"Do you boys remember if she said where she lived?" Sam asked them.

They bothh looked at each other, like they were trying to remember, and then shook their head. "No, she didn't say much. She wanted us to get working on our photography cause of this big project for the semester final."

I groaned and rubbed my hands over my face.

_Where are you Bella?_

Seth, Sam and I were all trying to brainstorm where she could be.

"Maybe you should just wait till tomorrow." A voice cut in.

We all looked at the doorway and found Jared.

"That way you will know where she will be and she can't hide."

We all felt antsy, but found that was the best solution. Sam and I took off work for the next day and then said our goodbyes.

I went home and tossed and turned. I didn't even know why I tried bothering to sleep.

Around 3am, my eyes finally closed and I waited to see Bella in my dreams.

Early the next morning I went over to Sam's. Emily had set us up a huge breakfast, knowing I was coming here.

We talked about crap and waited till it was time to go pick up Seth.

"Let's go." Sam said, grabbing his keys in a rush.

When we got there, Seth standing at the curb waiting for us. He slipped in the car and then the three of us were off to see the person we cared for most...

**-BELLAS POV-**

My first days of class were like a mad rush. Everything was so chaotic and busy…but I liked it. I found that I had a set of twins in one of my classes and found they were pretty nice. They were opposites of each other for sure.

Collin…I think it was, was really shy and quite while Brady was loud and seemed to be the class clown.

When I settled the class, I told them a few general things about myself and then let them do their own thing.

It went on like this for mostly the whole day.

When the last bell of the day finally rang and I was out the door.

I got home, took a shower and made myself some dinner. Then I watched TV as I created some lesson plans until I fell asleep.

The next day was the same as usual except Brady and Collin looked at me a lot.

"Boys, do you need something?" they both shook their head 'no' and I looked at them for a second. They looked a lot like…

"Ms. Bella!" a girl called.

I shook my thoughts away and looked at them one more time. "Alright. Well get to work." I went off to help the girl and then continued my day.

The last bell chimed and I dismissed the kids.

Unfortunately, I stayed a while after cleaning up the room. They left camera parts all over and the dark room didn't look very tidy anymore.

I sighed and wrote myself a note to go over this stuff with them.

I thought they were too old and mature for a syllabus. _Guess not…_ I thought. _I'm going to have a lot to do tonight._

When I cleaned the room, I grabbed my bag, putting my lesson plan and agenda books in my bag and heading to my car.

As I walked out to the lot, I looked down, finding my keys in the side pocket of my bag. When I looked up…I froze and stared in disbelief.

Sam, Paul, and Seth were all standing outside the car, with their arms crossed, staring straight at me.

I shook my head and felt my heat beat faster than it's ever beat before.

"no." I said. "No, no, no." I whispered over and over again.

I wasn't ready. I couldn't breath.

I made sure my key was out and ready, with my car unlocked.

"Bella!" Paul shouted, catching up to me. He grabbed my arm, which I quickly retracted out of his touch.

"Fella's." I nodded and tried to pass Sam.

My heart fluttered as he moved in sync with me, not letting me pass against his rock hard chest.

I looked up to him and saw love in his eyes.

_No, stop that!_ I yelled at myself. I turned my head away from his eyes and looked at the ground.

"What are you all doing here? How did you even find me?" I whispered.

"We are here to see you Bella. We wanted to say we are sorry and explain it all to you." Seth said gently. I closed my eyes, listening to his voice.

I haven't heard it in so long.

"Yo! Paul lets go! Emily texted me saying their was food at the house!" Brady shouted from their car window.

My eyes widened. _Of course. They were buff and tall…they were just like them!_

Paul growled at the boys and I shook myself out of my revelation.

"I have to go." I panicked, pushing my way through their little wall.

I made it to my car when a hand grabbed my wrist. "Bella, please wait." Seth pleaded.

My mind flashed back to Sue's Diner. It was just like before.

"What Seth?" I didn't meet his eyes. I couldn't.

"Let us explain everything to you."

He put two fingers underneath my chin and pulled it up. I grimaced, thinking back to the good times.

"Bella, please look at me." He whimpered. It was breaking my heat, but I just couldn't.

I pulled my head away from him and looked back down. "Maybe later Seth, but I have a lot of work to do. So I will see you guys…around." I said, choosing words carefully.

I got into my car, starting it up and driving away.


	12. Chapter 12

When I got back to my place, I ran inside and shut the door. _This was not happening. No way._

I had only been here a week or so and they found me?

This wasn't good.

When I got my breathing under control and my heart to calm down; I hung up my bag and got something to eat. I grabbed an apple from the fridge and then sat down at the table.

_What was I going to do?_

My thoughts broke as the doorbell rang. I furrowed my eyebrows.

_Who could that be?_

I sung the door open and found Bex.

"Bex?" I said surprised.

"Belly!" the little girl shouted.

Bex was 5 years old with brown hair and green eyes. I met her a couple of years ago when I was living with Phil in the summer. I learned that she was up for adoption ever since she was a baby and then entered in the foster care system after a few years later.

We met at the hospital. She was in there for some minor cuts and bruises, while I was there to see Phil after a baseball injury.

Bex was adorable. We instantly clicked. She came home with me for a while and it was the most amazing experience. She was an amazing little girl with a lot of ambition and passion. I tried to adopt her, but the system said it wouldn't be likely I would be able to.

Towards the end of the summer she was taken away from me. I begged the system to let me keep her, but they wouldn't let me. They said had found a better suited home for her.

That was probably another heart wrenching moment. She was crying and holding on to me for life as the foster care woman tried to pull her off of me.

The woman and Bex finally compromised that if her family agreed, we would get to update each other on our whereabouts and visit each other.

"I missed you." I cooed as I hugged her.

"We missed you too." She laughed as I picked her up in my arms.

"We?" I said in a happy and light tone. Bex was probably the only one who could get me to cheer up when everything was going wrong and the world was tumbling down on me.

"Yea! Beary and I!" she laughed, pulling bear between us.

I looked down at the decent size teddy bear. My smile turned into a full blown grin. It was the bear I gave her when she first moved it.

It was skinny and grey. The face kind of looked like a koala bear, but it was skinny and had a small head. His stomach was a little bigger than his body and he was nice and soft.

My attention turned to the foster mother of Bex. I must say, they really did place her with a good home.

"Hi Lila." I smiled happily.

Lila was the foster mother, and a really sweet and kind one. She always respected our relationship and was always so polite and relaxed to be around. She chose to stay at home mother to Bex while her husband, Carter, went to work as doctor.

When I first met them, they said always wanted a little kid from the system since she could never have children. I felt sorry for her, but she brushed it off.

She told that it was better this way anyways because she couldn't change a diaper to save her life. I laughed pretty hard and I knew Bex was in a safe and happy home.

"Hi Bella, sorry if we were interrupting. Bex just couldn't stand not seeing you any longer." She smiled at us.

"Is that right?" I said mischievously, looking down at Bex who was talking to her bear. When she noticed I was looking at her with a smile she looked at me and nodded with that cute little grin on her face.

I squeezed her side, smiling brighter as she let out a squeal and giggle. Her sides contracted harder as I continued to tickle her in my lap.

"Yes! Yes!" she laughed with a smile on her face.

Soon, I stopped and she kissed my cheek; then went back to her bear, talking like nothing happened.

I stared at her in amazement. She was growing up so fast.

As Lila and I talked, Bex talked to her bear on my lap.

I got to catch up with a lot with Lila.

Apparently they were in the process of moving into Forks for a while. The hospital here is short handed on doctors, so they moved for the better pay and life.

"So when are you moving then?" I asked.

"In a month or so. Carter is finishing his rounds and patients in Nevada and then we are moving here." She sighed.

I felt bad. Lila was the kind of girl who liked to live in nice warm or hot weather; and Forks, its not that type of weather.

"Well…its not that bad." I shrugged. She looked at me like _'Come on, who are you kidding?'_

"Well, we have a nice diner here and some nice shops just a ways up."

She laughed, both of us knowing that wasn't really helping.

Lila and Bex finally agreed to stay for dinner after hours of talking them into it,

We began walking to the kitchen, Bex holding my hand and bear when she stopped at the doorway of the kitchen and looked at Lila.

"Mommy, what about Joey?" she asked.

I gave her a raised eyebrow and watched her face go from relaxed to alarmed.

"Oh no! The dog!" she cried and then rushed out to her car.

I looked at Bex in surprise and she just shrugged and tugged me into the kitchen.

"You got a dog?" I asked her face to face as I sat her on the kitchen counter.

"Yea, mommy and daddy got me one a couple of days ago. I named him Buster." She smiled.

"Look! There he is!" she pointed out the window to the golden retriever puppy. He looked all cute and cuddly and especially innocent, but he was sort of chubby too.

Lila walked into the house with relief washed over her face.

"Oh thank heavens. He's ok. Right buddy?" Lila asked Buster in a sweet voice.

"Can I set him down?" she asked me, crouched on the floor with the chubby pup in her hands.

I nodded and smiled. "Yea, go right ahead."

After that, Bex got off the counter and went to go play with Buster while Lila and I ordered the food and waited.

They stayed for a little while after dinner was over, but soon had to go when it started going.

Lila grabbed Buster in her arms while waiting for Bex to finish putting her coat on.

"Bye Belly." She said with a bowed head.

I kneeled down and put a finger under her chin.

"Hey hey. Turn that frown upside down missy. No need to be sad. It was an awesome day. I got to spend some time with you and your mom. And I also got to meet Buster. We will see each other soon ok?" I said softly.

She looked at me and nodded. Her arms wrapped around my neck and she hugged me.

"Ok. I guess. Are you coming out tomorrow?" she asked hopeful.

I gave her a laugh and sadly shook my head. "no. I have work, but maybe one day, if its ok with your mommy, I will take a day off of work and come spend it with you. Does that sound good?"

She nodded happily and I took her to the car.

After she was all buckled in tight, I kissed her forehead and flashed her a smile.

"Love you." I whispered. I backed away from the car as Lila opened the driver's door and got in.

"Love you more." She teased giggling like crazy.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

"No way baby cakes." I said positively sure.

Lila looked back at us with a smile. The car was now running and Buster was in his box ready to go home.

"Are you sure?" she wondered.

"I'm absolutely positively sure." I confirmed. She gave me one last smile before I backed away and shut the door.

When Bex, Lila, and Buster left, I went back inside and rubbed my eyes.

It was going to be a long night.

I got right down to work; sorting out my lesson plans and planning a project for the photography class.

Letting out a huff, I threw my pen down on the table and looked at the time.

It was just past midnight.

"Ughhh." I groaned while rubbing my hands over my face.

I packed up my things as nice as I could and then dragged myself up to bed.


	13. Chapter 13

The next day, I had to push myself out of bed to get ready. I was dreading the day.

Not only did I not get to finish all my lesson plans, but I had to face Collin and Brady.

Don't get me wrong, they are both sweethearts, but the fact that I know who they hang around with doesn't make me feel any better.

Today was a 'casual' day, or so the memo said. So I slipped on a tee shirt and a pair of skinny jeans.

When I made my way downstairs, I put my curly brown hair into a ponytail and grabbed a cup of coffee.

My eyes caught the time and I sighed.

Time for school.

Grabbing my stuff, I quickly shoved it into the bag and was off to the car.

I made my way into school with no problem. It was almost like a normal day, except for the huge pit in my stomach.

I smiled at the teachers who walked by and said hello to me, and I even talked with the since teacher Mr. Martin.

But the feeling of dread and sadness wouldn't go away. It was like a dark reminder hovering over me no matter how many times I tried to not think about it.

When I finally settled down into my classroom, I got down to work. I had prep 1st hour, which was really nice considering how far behind I was.

I worked on the assignments for my classes and even cleaned the room.

When classes finally started for me, it went smooth. Or as smooth as it would get.

Collin and Brady walked into class together pretty early, and I couldn't help but to cower away.

I pretended to set some things up in the back room and kept myself busy. I couldn't look them in the eyes and I couldn't find words to talk to them. It was like everything was stuck in my throat.

When their class started, I gave them the simple directions to work on their projects. Everyone needed to start creating an outline of what they were going to do when and how they were going to do it.

"Don't think so much inside the box. This assignment is supposed to let you show your perspective on things. Think of the camera lens as your eye." I said to one of my students.

"Ms. Bella." A voice called. My heart accelerated and I knew what was going to happen next.

Collin was calling me.

"Ms. B!" Brady yelled.

"One second guys." I said. I turned back to the student and explained a little more.

When I knew it would be unfair to go further, I dragged myself over to Collin and Brady.

"Hey guys. What do you need?" I asked, standing between the tw of them.

Collin and Brady looked at each other, and then at me.

"Can you please just hear us out?" Brady asked.

"Boys…." I warned.

"We just want to explain ourselves. A lot has happened and…."

"Guys." I said sharply. I looked at them and softened.

"Not now ok? Its neither the place or time. So please…just….don't. Now did you both actually need something or just call me over to talk to me about my personal life?"

Brady sighed in his seat and I could tell Collin was disappointed too.

"Actually I did need some help" Collin cut in.

I looked at him kind of surprise and nodded.

"I want to do my focus on trees…or well the forest. But I don't understand how to make an outline for it."

Moving my personal life to the side, I went into full teach mode and helped him out.

When I was done I moved from Collin to Brady.

"Brady? What's your topic?" I asked.

He bit his lip. "I know this sounds really girly, but I was thinking about doing flowers. I mean, I find them quite interesting and I know its stupid but…"

I looked at him shocked. "No, that sounds amazing. Did you need any help?"

He looked back at me with the same reaction. "Yea, I mean, could you help me get started?"

I smiled and nodded. "Lets get to work."

By the end of the class period, the outlines were all turned in, including Brady and Collins.

"Thanks Ms. B." Brady said with a blush. I nodded and he made his way out the door.

Throughout the day, I check numerous amounts of outlines. And when I got to Brady and Collins I found my heart fluttering once again.

On Collins Paper a pink sticky note was attached on the top with my name on it.

_Dear Ms. Bella,_

_I know you are hurt by the guys. I saw it in your eyes when we mentioned them. But when I go home, I also see the hurt and pain in the guys eyes too. Its everywhere I go and everything I see. So im asking you to please consider just…seeing them. I know it seems like im asking a lot, but these are my brothers and I care a lot for them. I may not know everything that happened or how it felt when you left, but I need you to know, they all still care and miss you a lot. So please, just consider it._

_Thanks for all your time and help._

_~C_

I sighed and rubbed my face with my hand.

_Were they really that hurt that I left?_

I graded Collins paper and then went to Brady's. I found he had the same sticky note attached to the front of the paper.

_Ms. B,_

_Just wanted to let you know that they are all still there. Not much has changed except for the mood (its pretty gloomy). Think about coming back to them? Just for my sanity. =) Hope you aren't too upset we did this._

_-Brady._

_P.S. I have the pink sticky notes, Collin wanted to set that straight._

I let out a laugh and shook away the unhappy thoughts.

_Do I really go back?_

I stood up from my desk and the papers. Classes were over a while ago, and by the looks of outside it was around dinner or maybe later.

I walked around the room, cleaning up some scraps and stuff when I saw 2 cameras on the counter.

I looked at both for names and gave a sigh and laugh.

The names were Collin and Brady. I only had one student with each of those names.

I debated with myself.

_I could just give them to them tomorrow in class._

_But…I know they didn't leave them here for that purpose._

_But was I really ready?_

I let out another frustrated sigh. They were really making life difficult.

I looked at the wall clock and saw it was only about 6:45. I could get to their house by 7.

I bit my lip and did what I never thought I would ever do.

Grabbing my coat off the back of my chair, I quickly stuffed all my papers in my bag and the 2 cameras, and was off to drop them off.

As I drove out of the school parking lot, I realized I didn't really know where they would be.

I memorized where Paul's house still was, and Jake's…even Sam's, but that doesn't really matter.

On a whim, I took a guess. It was during the week…and the closest house to the school would be….Jake's.

I took in a huge breath and began driving into that direction.

It wasn't long before I felt the gravel of the driveway against the tires. The car was now in park, and here I was sitting there frozen with butterflies in my stomach.

"Come on Bella, you can do this." I whispered confidently to myself. I was ready for this. I was ready to face this….and them.

I took in a huge breath and got out of the car with my bag.

Walking up to the front door was one of the most nerve-racking things I ever did.

It was like setting yourself up for something that you knew wasn't good.

Two knocks on the door. That's all it took for Billy to open the door and look up at me with shock.

I nervously smiled and reminded myself to breath.

For a few seconds, I stood there…not knowing what to do or say. He was just looking up at me with shock and amazement. As I waited, I could hear laughter and chattering towards the back of the house

They were all here, I knew it. When I looked back to Billy, he still seemed frozen.

_Guess I have to break the ice._

"Hi Billy." I said with a squeakish voice.

I cleared my throat and the noise started to die down.

_Shit shit shit shit!_ I cussed in my head.

"Bella." Billy said with a squeaky voice that was laced with question.

I nodded with confirmation. My heart still pounding furiously against my chest.

"Bella" he whispered again, taking me all in.

I tried to think of something else to say, but before I could, chairs squeaked across the hardwood floor and footsteps came racing.

"Bella?" Jake half yelled.

He stood in the hallway right behind Billy.

"Hey." I said letting out a breath.

Behind Jake was just about everyone. Paul, Sam, and Seth were all tightly behind Jake while Jared, Embry, Quil, Collin and Brady were more in the back. I didn't dare look at them. I couldn't. I didn't want to see if Collin and Brady were right, and I didn't want to feel the guilt or pain that I had been feeling for such a long time.

_Gosh this is awkward._ I thought to myself. _Why did I do this? _

As I felt their stare, I gave myself another little pep talk and got down to business.

I tried the best I could to make eye contact with Brady and Collin.

"I didn't know where you guys would be," I started.

"But I took a guess….and apparently I know you guys too well." I grumbled the last part.

"And you two left these behind." I scolded, opening my bag and taking out two cameras.

I held them out for someone to take, but they were all still looking at me.

Finally Brady and Collin pushed their way through the huddle of guys and took the cameras.

We all stood there awkwardly and so I broke the ice.

I stared up at Collin and Brady with sympathetic eyes.

"I know you guys meant well….but don't…don't do this again. I can't…." I took in a breath, looking away.

"Its not right…and its not…I'm your teacher." I stressed. "I can't go around making these house calls or playing along with your match making games."

I looked back up at them. "So thank you….for trying all of this. But this cant happen again."

With a new found strength I quickly glanced at all of them. My eyes got stuck onto Sam's a little longer, but I pushed the feelings and emotions away.

"See you tomorrow boys." I said nodding to Collin and Brady and turned to walk back to the car.

I made it down the porch before someone called my name.

"Bella. Wait!"

Closing my eyes, I kept in the tears. _Don't let them see you cry; you can't let them see you cry _I chanted to myself.

Slowly, I turned around and stared into the eyes of my brother.

"Stay Bella. Stay here and have dinner with us." He said hopefully.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and shook my head.

"This isn't your house Paul, you can't just invite people in." I scolded.

"No, but I can. And you aren't just any person Bella." Jake said, walking outside too.

I sighed; being double teamed on was not fun.

"Come on Bella, I bet you are hungry…"Paul said flatly.

I glared at him. "How would you know?"

"Because you came here around 7 o'clock, which past dinner time. And I highly doubt you went home, ate, and then came here to deliver the cameras. Knowing you, you would have thought it would be more logical to drop them off and then go home to eat." Seth said, leaning against a beam on the porch. He looked sad and worn, but staring into his chocolaty brown eyes, I knew it was the same old Seth.

"Look, as much as I would love to, I really have to go home and…." I thought for a second…_what do I have to do?_

"grade papers?" a voice added with a guess.

I looked up and found Sam leaning against the other beam.

I rolled my eyes.

"Ok seriously. Enough with this double team thing. It's getting ridiculous." I huffed.

The guys snickered and I gave a small smile. I felt oddly happy. Sighing, I looked down at the damp pavement.

"In all seriousness though, I can't."

The laughter died and everyone became serious again.

"Come on Bella, its just dinner." Paul said softly. He took a step closer to me, reaching a hand out, but I swiftly took a step back.

"Don't." I said sharply.

"Bella, please, stay for dinner. It would be lovely to have you." Billy said from the middle of the porch.

I rolled my eyes again. "You too Billy? Really?" I told him referring to the teaming up.

He let out a laugh and shook his head. "Come on, dinner is ready."

I sighed; all the guys were waiting for me.

Taking a tantrum inside my brain, I began walking back up the sidewalk and to the porch.

Paul followed right behind me, Jake next to me, and Seth and Sam somewhere in between.

When I walked into the kitchen, the rest of the guys looked up to me.

"Ms. Bella?" Collin and Brady said at the same time.

Smiles suddenly appeared on their faces and I rolled my eyes.

A hand was put on my lower back and I looked to find Sam beside me. Every time he touched me, it was like an electric jolt passed through my body.

He extended his arm to guide me to a seat next to Collin. Seth immediately grabbed the seat next to me. I looked at him with a raised eyebrow, but all I received was a faint blush and a bowed head.

"Don't think too far into this. Got it?" I said to both Collin and Brady.

Their faces fell a little but still smiled none the less.

A plate was put in front of me and I looked at in surprise.

"Here…I didn't know what you liked, so I thought I would just get you a little bit of everything…" Sam said rambling.

"Thank you." I said smiling up at him.

He flashed me one of the biggest grins and I thought I saw a little blush.

"No problem."

At first, the dinner was awkward. I didn't know what to say or how to act. But as time passed the air got lighter and I actually felt a smile on my face.

I was talking to Collin about the school project I assigned, when out of the corner of my eye I found a fork on my plate.

"Hey!" I protested.

The fork quickly went into the mouth of Seth who looked proud and happy.

"That was mine." I whined.

He laughed and kissed my cheek. Rolling my eyes, I moved my plate away from him.

"Oh come on Bells, you weren't eating it. I was just…cleaning up." He smiled cheekily.

"Cleaning up….righhtt." I said skeptical.

I watched as he put an arm around me, fork in hand, trying to stab my last cooked carrot.

Knowing what he was trying to do, I grabbed the carrot from the plate and stuck it in my mouth, not letting him have it.

I laughed and smiled at him. His face was priceless.

He began smirking and then bumped his shoulder with mine.

Bumping his back, we both held grins on our faces.

"Alright. Well I am off to bed." Billy said interrupting us with a yawn.

Snapping out of the fantasy world, I backed out of my chair and gave Billy a quick hug.

"It was wonderful seeing you Bella, truly amazing." Billy said smiling and patting my hand.

"You too Billy. And thank you for dinner, it was wonderful."

Smiling at me one more time, he gave me a nod and then went off to bed.

I caught my eye on the time and was shocked. _10pm already?_

Turning back around, I took my plate to the sink, rinsing it off and then sticking it in the dishwasher.

My hands leaned on the edge of the countertop, my body facing them. My head was still lowed, looking at my feet.

Everyone knew what I was going to say and what was going to happen.

"I should get going."

The whole room sighed and I was eloped into a hug.

"Seth." I sighed. He wasn't going to make this easy.

"Don't go Bella, come on. Its only 10 o'clock. We need to catch up some more and…-"

"…Tell you some things." Sam cut in.

I pulled away from Seth's bone crushing hug.

"As much as I would like to stay, I have papers to finish grading and things to do."

"Well…can we do this again?" Paul asked shyly.

Biting my lip, I didn't really know what to say.

_Did I want to do this again? Should I?_

Taking a huge leap of faith, I took in a breath and looked at him.

"Yea…sure."

Everyone looked at me shocked. "Seriously?" Seth asked happily.

"Yea, I guess."

I took one last look at everyone and began making my way out the door. All of their faces held happiness, and I knew it was because of me.

The guys walked me to the door and watched me go on my way.

Before I made my way down the steps, I turned around to look at them.

"Thank you. For all of this. It was fun…I had fun."

They all smiled at me. "It was our pleasure." Jake said with his boyish grin.

I looked at Collin and Brady.

"Don't do this again boys. No more house calls. And start working on your projects please? They are worth half of your grade."

They both nodded and then I turned back to head home.

Within minutes, I was back in the car and pulling out of the driveway.


	14. Chapter 14

The next day, I woke up with a smile. Everything shifted a little. I wasn't dreading seeing Collin and Brady and I was happy on how life was turning out.

Each class period, I had the kids work on their projects. I advised them on some things and helped them with a general layout. Collin and Brady were both happy as clams.

They were laughing and smiling and very respectful.

When school was over, I stayed late again. Cleaning up and working on organizing the back room to make a studio was hard.

When I was finally satisfied on how much I got done, I grabbed my stuff and headed home.

Finding the guys on the front steps of my house was very amusing.

"Boys?" I asked while stepping out of my car.

Seth, Paul, Jake and Sam were all waiting for me.

"Hey." They all said.

Seth came and gave me a big hug, along with the rest of them.

"What are you guys doing here?"

"Waiting to see you." Paul said happily.

"For….?" I asked.

"Just because. Did we need a reason?" Jake asked.

I looked at all of them funny.

"I guess not. Did you guys want to come in?"

They nodded and smiled. "That would be great."

And that's it. They stayed for a while. Even had dinner with me. It was a great surprise. But something was off. Why was Sam always with them now? I wasn't even that close to him. I mean, I knew that I feel something for him when I am around him…but it was just…strange.

Days went on like this. We would have dinners at each others houses and just be in each others company. A few times, when Seth would put his arm around me or when I would lean into him, I swear I would hear a growl.

At first, I thought I was imagining it or going crazy, but I found it more common than I thought. It sounds weird, but I think its coming from Sam. After I swear I hear it, some of the guys look at Sam with a weird expression.

Anyways, it was one day after school when I was in my classroom that a familiar tall uniformed Native American came into my room.

"Hey." He said in a gruff voice.

I looked up from my computer and found Sam standing in the middle of the room.

"Hey stranger. What are you doing here?" I smiled.

He flashed me a grin and leaned back against a table that was across from my desk.

"Just visiting you. I had to finish up some things and thought you would still be here."

"Nice guess." I said rolling away on my chair to the printer.

"So what are you up to?" he asked, with his eyes following my every move.

"Nothing much, just putting some things together for my classes." I said barely paying attention to him. I was so focused on the computer PowerPoint that I didn't even realize he came to lean over my desk.

"Like what?" he asked curious.

I looked up stunned and swallowed hard. The lamp on my desk shined light on his face at such an angle he looked….godly.

"Just….just things about different angles. To give the kids some ideas on how their pictures could look and to be creative." I supplied, still looking at him.

He was very strong and buff. The way he leaned against my desk made the uniform hug against his arm muscles. His skin looked smooth and creamy and his face was...heart melting.

"Can I see?" he asked politely.

I nodded and moved my roll-y char to the side to show him. He came around the side of the desk and sat on the top.

I showed him all I had, even explaining some things. He seemed truly interested and short of shocked I knew all of these things.

When I was done, it was like he couldn't take his eyes off of me. I was starting to feel uncomfortable and I think he could sense it.

"Would you like to go out with me sometime?" he asked randomly.

I turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "What?"

He blushed a little and rubbed his hand against the back of his neck.

"Would you like to go out with me?"

"I-...sure. Why not?" I laughed awkwardly.

"Great. So then I will be by your house to pick you up after my shifts over. Say around 8?" he asked with a smile. I could tell how happy he was for some reason. His eyes were light and glistening and the stance of his body looked free and relaxed.

"Wait…I thought you were off work…." I said.

He laughed at my puzzlement and shook his head. "No I wish. I just wanted to stop by. Tie up some loose ends like I said." He said implying me being the loose end.

I rolled my eyes and smiled. "You could have just asked me. I probably held you up. Sorry." I apologized.

"And what fun would have that been? Plus I learned some things. It was all really interesting. I'm sure the station was fine on its own. So don't apologize, you're worth it." He said sweetly.

I blushed at his statement and I could tell he was hiding back a proud chuckle.

"Well, I will see you tonight." He smiled. Before I knew it, he walked back over to my desk and kissed the top of my head.

And we walked away just like that. For a second I sat there stunned while my heart fluttered like crazy. When I came to my senses I stood up and ran to find him.

"Sam!" I shouted from the doorway of my classroom. He was just walking down the middle of the hall.

He turned around and looked at me surprised.

"What should…I mean-…"

He raised an eyebrow but waited patiently. The warmth on my cheeks were surfacing and I knew he could see my blushing.

"What do I wear?" I asked.

He gave a small smile and it made me feel a little less silly for asking that.

"Casual; jeans and a tee is fine, though you might want to bring a sweatshirt."

I nodded, smiling like a fool.

"Sounds good, thanks."

We stared at each other for a moment more and then he nodded.

"Anytime. I should get back, but I will see you soon ok?"

"Yea, bye Sam." I grinned.

"Bye Bella." He laughed walking away.

The grin on my face was etched permanently there, or at least it felt like it. I was like a high school girl who just got asked out by my crush…but Sam wasn't my crush…or was he?

I shook away the interesting thoughts and began packing up to head home. I wanted to shower and pick out something to wear.

By the time I got home it was already 7:15; I was practically racing to get ready.

I hopped in the shower, washing my hair with my fresh raspberry shampoo. When I was done, I swiftly dried off, pinning my long hair up into a messy bun for the time being. I headed off to find some clothes, searching throughout my drawers.

I settled on a plain black spaghetti tank top and a pair of dark skinny jeans. It was casual but very nice looking. I also made sure to grab a hoodie sweatshirt that zipped. It was a nice light bright blue with white writing from my college days.

The clock read 7:45. Nervously, I headed back to the bathroom and started drying my hair. I didn't have enough time to make it straight, so I just dried it, letting it show all my natural waves and curls.

When it was dry enough, I began applying some makeup.

As I was applying some eye shadow I couldn't help but wonder, _was this really the right thing to do? This was Sam. Sam of all people?_

I grabbed the eyeliner. _He was the one that took away all my friends. He was the one that broke Paul and I apart._

I shook my head and put the eyeliner back_. That was Paul who broke us apart. Paul was the one that left. Sam just provided him a house._

Finding that this argument was pointless, I gave up and analyzed myself in the mirror. My makeup and hair looked fine…good you could say. I made sure that the makeup wasn't heavy or unnatural looking; I just wanted to be me.

I was interrupted by the doorbell ringing.

Not wanting Sam to be waiting long, I quickly shut off the bathroom lights and ran to my bed, grabbing the blue sweatshirt. I shut off the lights on my way down and ran for the door with nervousness.

"Hey." He smiled. He was looking good. Like really good. He was wearing a black short sleeve tee shirt which hugged against his chest and showed all the curvatures of his muscles. He was also wearing some baggy dark jeans and smelled like the fresh outside and a hint of pine. After gazing at me, he handed me a bunch of flowers.

They were a mixture; there were some Roses, Daisies, Carnations, Lilies,Amaryllis, Daffodil, even Orchids.

"Sam, these are beautiful." I said amazed.

He blushed. "I didn't really know what you liked, so I just got a whole bunch."

I stared at the bouquet amazed. They were all so pretty and colorful.

"Let me go put these in a vase…your welcome to come in." I told him, heading for the kitchen.

I found a vase. But it was high, in the top cabinet above the fridge.

"Here." Sam said, reaching behind me to get the glass vase.

I blushed and murmured a 'thanks'. Whenever he touched me, I always felt these little electric sparks. Plus his skin was so warm and soft against me; I just wanted to cuddle up against him.

I put the flowers in the vase filled with water and set it on the counter.

They were very beautiful.

"You ready?" he asked me as I looked at the flowers.

I gave him a smile and nodded. "Yea, so where are we going?"

He shook his head and grabbed my hand as we made our way out the door.

"Nope. Not telling."

"Oh come on Sam." I whined as he opened the car door.

"Nope, now come here." He said, coming closer to me. He took my legs and moved my body so it was facing him.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

He took a white bandana blind fold from his back pocket.

"Sam." I whined.

He laughed and shook his head again.

Putting the white bandana over my eyes, I couldn't see squat.

"I can't see anything." I complained childishly.

"I know. That's the point." He laughed as he got into his side of the car.

He started up the engine and we were off to…somewhere.

It didn't feel like it was too long before we started to slow down and come to a stop.

"Where are we?" I asked him as he came to get me.

"You will find out soon enough." He said.

I huffed, and let him guide me.

I felt my feel hit warm soft grains of what I guessed were sand. The waves, I could hear, were swishing in the background.

"We're at the beach." I guessed.

He ignored my comment and walked me a little further.

"Ok stop." He said.

I halted and waited for the 'ok' to take off my blindfold.

Still not seeing anything, I could sense his presence behind me. His arms went to the knot on the back of my head and untied it.

"Surprise." He whispered in my ear.

I looked around and was stunned. He set up a picnic on the beach. The setting was beautiful and classic.

Against the light of the moon, He had laid a white and red checkered blanket on the sand with a wooden picnic basket. There were a bunch of candles which were lit all around us and a bunch of rose petals that were scattered around the beach.

"Sam. This is beautiful." I gasped.

He smiled and led me to the blanket. "Come on, let's eat."

He brought out a bunch of sandwiches, grapes, cherries, a salad, chips, water, and some chocolate covered strawberries for dessert.

"This looks really yummy." I laughed in shock.

"Well thank you. I was hoping you would like it."

"Did you make it all?" I asked as we made ourselves plates.

He blushed a little and shook his head 'no'. "I didn't know what to make and I didn't have a lot of time by the time I got back to the station. So I called up Emily…Paul's imprint," he supplied. I nodded, remembering the girl.

"So I asked her what I should do, or what I wanted to do, and she offered to make the food so I would have enough time to set everything else up. And it worked out good."

"Well, tell her I said thank you."

"You can tell her yourself, you're welcome to come back to Paul's after. All the guys should be there."

"I-….I don't think I will be able to make it to Paul's." I gulped in sadness.

He sighed and ran his thumb against the side of my face.

"He misses you. A lot."

I looked away from him not wanting to ruin the night. He must have gotten the vibe because he sighed again and removed his hand.

We ended talking about a lot of random things. Like what I did when I was gone and how he got into the law enforcement.

As the night moved along it also got colder, even after I put on my sweatshirt.

"Come here." He ordered. Sam was lying across from me on his side. We had both cleaned up the food and had been sitting there talking.

I looked at him curious, still sitting with my legs criss cross across from him.

"I can warm you up." He supplied.

Just as I was about to respond protesting he cut me off.

"And don't say you're fine 'cause I know you're cold."

I rolled my eyes smiling and crawled over to lay by him.

He wrapped an arm around my waist as I snuggled my body closer to his.

Sam was right. He was warm. He seemed warmer than a usual human being, but maybe I was just saying that 'cause I was freezing.

Within minutes I was starting to feel warm again, but that didn't stop me from snuggling my face into his strong chest.

Luckily he welcomed it. His hand which was on my waist squeezed me lightly and he pushed us closer together.

I stuck my head right underneath his chin, comfortably taking in everything.

He felt good, smelt good, was a good guy, and was just all around good.

"So how did you get so interested in becoming a photography teacher?" he asked randomly.

I looked up to him as he bowed his head to meet my eyes.

"Well…I was always interested in taking pictures. Mostly of my family or the outside. In Phoenix I would take a lot of pictures of Renee or Phil. Then when they got tired of it, I went outside and ventured around with my camera. There weren't a lot of trees like there is here, but they had some cacti and some other cool things."

"From then on, I just really enjoyed it. So I decided to make it my job. Do something you love to do right?" he nodded, brushing a hair away from my eyes.

"Plus I love the thought of a picture. It's a moment in time. A true moment. From then on everything changes. I guess it's like the one moment that you can actually savor or like that one moment of happiness. A reminder of how fast things can change and how much you really need to enjoy life."

"Do you ever tell your kids that?" he asked.

I shook my head. "No not really, I thought it was kind of a silly thought."

"No, its not. It's a really interesting take on everything. Very thoughtful."

"Thanks." I murmured quietly.

After that, we began talking about our interests and…Paul. At first I kept my answers reserved and sort of obvious. But as I felt more comfortable with Sam it came so easy and smooth. He knew everything now. How I felt when I was first with him and how I feel now. It was like I was starting a clean slate.

When our talking began to die down, he leaned in close to me, slowly moving to kiss me; I didn't give it a second thought. I knew what I wanted and I went with it. I moved closer and our lips touched.

It was amazing- the feel of his lips against mine. The spark was there again, the minute our lips touched. The kiss was warm, soft, caring, and passionate. It was everything under the sun and above. He made my heart flutter and the blood rush through my veins.

After the most perfect kiss of our lives, we laid there in bliss just looking at the stars in the sky.

Unfortunately, the time passed faster than our liking because as it was getting later, it was also getting colder. The wind was starting to pick up a little harder, blowing out the candles and making me shiver.

"Come on, we should get you home." He said getting up.

He stuck out a hand and I graciously accepted it. When we were both up, we collected our things, and folded the blanket.

Sam led me back to the car and opened the door for me.

After he put the things in the back seat he got in and started up the car.

I guess I should have guessed where he was going cause we ended up in Paul's driveway.

"Sam." I warned/ pleaded.

"Come on Bella, you can do this. From everything you have told me about Paul…" he let out a huff, frustrated with himself.

"I know it may seem like you can't do this, but I will be with you every step of the way."

I swallowed hard and looked down at my hands. "What if I don't want to do this?"

"But you do. The way you talk about him and the way he talks about you- You both want everything to be ok, its just you both don't know what to do or how to act. And if you really couldn't do this, then I would take you home. I can't make you do anything you don't want to. I can only be here for you."

I let out a breath, telling myself not to cry.

Not looking up from my hands in my lap, I heard Sam unbuckle his seatbelt and get out of the car.

A few seconds later, my car door was opening and a big warm hand that I recognized was being held out for me to take.

I looked at it for a second and then slowly guided mine into it.

Sam carefully helped me out of the car and we walked up to the well-known house, hand in hand. As we walked up there, I noticed that most of the lights were on and then TV blaring in the background.

Sam's hand rested on the front door and he looked at me. "Ready?"

I took a second to take in a breath and think this through. If I was to go in there, it would mean I called it. I put up the white flag and forgave him for leaving me…and for everything else.

He would know it; I would know it…hell even Seth would know it.

But the question was, was I really ready to forgive him?

Then, I let it go. I stopped thinking and nodded to Sam.

He gave me a small reassuring smile and then twisted the doorknob to open it.

Sam stepped through the door first, keeping his hand entwined with mine.

"Hey how was the date?" someone asked.

"How'd it go?" a voice asked that I knew was Seth.

"Did she like the food?" a womanly voice ask, knowing it was Emily.

"Please tell me you didn't pull a move on my sister." Paul pleaded.

I thought it was kind of funny. They were all looking at Sam with twisted necks from the couch, but didn't even notice me. I knew it was because I was standing behind him, and his body covered me well, but you would think someone would see me from the angles they were looking at him.

I felt his hand squeeze mine and I knew it was my cue.

"The date was good. A lot of fun and very romantic. The food was amazing and perfect, which I want to say thank you for, by the way." I incorporated. Everyone's head popped to me.

"And we kissed, so I don't know if you would call that a 'move' but it's that big of a deal anyways" I teased.

Everyone just kept staring at me stunned.

Suddenly Paul got up and ran over to me, hugging me for dear life.

I laughed and hugged him back with as much force as I could muster.

As much as I would like to deny it, I really did miss Paul.

"I'm so sorry." He whispered as he hugged me.

"Its ok, I am too."

When we let go, Paul went over to give a manly hug/thank you to Sam while Seth came over to hug me.

"I'm glad you forgave him."

I nodded and smiled at Paul, who was talking with Sam.

"Me too."

"And Bella, you know I'm sorry too right? I just…I know I left but its not like I meant to…I mean I didn't want to its just…"

"It's ok Seth." I said, leaning my head against his chest.

I took in a breath and laid my arms over Seth's who were around my waist. As I watched Paul and Sam, I knew it was going to be ok-It felt ok.

"I know I may not understand why you left or why you even did it, but I know you. And as weird and crazy as this sounds, I know you wouldn't hurt me even if you had a choice. So its ok, I forgive you. What's done is done."

I stretched my neck to look up at him.

"So you can stop feeling guilty and beating yourself up. All I want now is my best friend back."

"And your brother right?" Paul said with a full blown smile.

Sam and Paul were now both looking at me with happiness in their eyes. I thought I read some torment and pain in Sam's also, but I couldn't find any reason for it.

"Yea, I guess." I teased, laughing as he tried to pull me out of Seth's arms.

Luckily Seth grew so much he twisted us away from Paul. Seth lifted me up so I was on top of his feet and we walked together to the couch. Or at least tried.

There must have been a napkin or popcorn or something on the floor because Seth suddenly went flying back with me on top of him.

We landed on the family room floor with a huge bang and then a grunt from Seth.

I let out a giggle and turned back to Seth.

"Are you ok?" I laughed, gasping for breath.

He gave me a smile and coughed from getting the wind knocked out of him.

For some odd reason, I began cracking up with laughter even more. I didn't know why, cause the whole situation wasn't even that funny and Seth was sort of in pain.

Soon, we began full blown out laughing on the floor together, trying to catch our breaths.

Instead of being on top of Seth now, though, I was laying next to him, using his arm that was stretched out as my head rest.

"Ok, enough of that. Way to try and injure my sister when she first gets home." Paul grumped and scooped me up into his arms to sit on his lap in a recliner chair.

"Home?" I breathed, still holding my stomach from laughing.

"Yea, I mean, I thought you would move back. This is your home too…" he said.

I shook my head. "No its not."

"Bella." He said sadly.

"Look, yes, it was my home. And as much as I loved it…or still love it, it's not my home anymore. It's yours."

"No its yours." He said pushy.

I rolled my eyes. He sounded like a preschooler.

"I have my own home." I said referring to Charlie's old place.

"Yes. Here." He said.

I shook my head again.

"Paul, come on. I like my place. I can call it my own and feel like it's my own. I don't want to leave it. I enjoy staying there."

He sighed and looked at my lap sadly.

"It's not like the housing situation will stop me from being here. I put up the white flag remember?" I said grumpily.

His head popped up and he smiled at me. "Yea, I remember."

Everything went back to normal again. Sam took a seat at the end of the couch, closet to Paul and me. I could see him watching me as I talked to Emily, thanking her for the food.

"So how was the date?" Paul said mysteriously.

I turned to look at him and stuck an eyebrow up.

"It was good…great. I had an amazing time and enjoyed myself. I thought I went over this already?" I asked him.

"What did you guys do?" he asked, ignoring my question.

"We talked. And ate." I thought.

"Nothing more?" he asked.

"Paul." I warned.

"Do I ask what you do with Emily? No, then lets not cross that line, 'kay?" I said.

"If you really wanted to know what I do with Emily then…." He said with a grin.

"Noo! Ahhh!" I yelled covering my ears.

I got up and ran over to Sam. I sat in his lap, curling myself up into a ball, still covering my ears.

I swear I heard Paul growl. When I took my hands off my ears and looked at Paul, he seemed to be shaking a little. He seemed to be mad and staring at Sam.

I looked up at Sam and he was looking at Paul like he was telling him something without words.

Paul looked away and got himself in control. I tilted my head and stared at my brother.

This was happening more and more. I wasn't stupid. Something was going on.

A warm hand suddenly covered my knee and I looked to find Sam looking down at me.

I gave a small smile but looked back at Paul. He was staring at me, and when I met his eyes, he looked away.

Ignoring what just happened, I began talking with Seth and playing with Sam's hands which were now on my lap.

When I began yawning, Sam squeezed my hand.

"Come on, I will get you home."

I nodded sleepily and began standing up.

"Nooo," Paul whined.

I rolled my eyes tiredly and pulled Sam in the direction of the door.

"Stay here tonight. Pleasee?" he begged.

"Paul, I'm tired, I want to go home and sleep."

"You can sleep here." He supplied.

"Sleep meaning in my bed; with my p.j.s. None of which you have here."

"We have your room. And that's a bed, and I can get you some ."

I groaned in exhaustion.

"Paul." Sam said in a warning voice.

"Please Bella?" he rushed.

"Ugh, fine. I will sleep here on the couch." I said. I let go of Sam's hand and plopped down on the couch.

"You can sleep on your bed." Sam spoke.

I shook my head. "The room is probably all dusty and I would have to go put covers and crap on the bed. Too much work." I mumbled.

I heard him laugh at my answers. I would have stuck out my tongue or something mature like that but I was too tired.

"Goodnight guys." I said, shutting my eyes.

This time Seth laughed. "Alright, well I guess that's our cue to leave. Night Bella, see you later."

I let out a grunt and held up my hand as a goodbye.

The shuffling of the guy's feet and their goodbyes helped me guess they were all leaving.

When I didn't sense him coming, I popped open an eye and lifted my head.

"You coming to say goodbye to me?" I asked Sam, who was standing by the door, getting ready to leave.

He gave me a smile and walked over to me. "I thought you might be sleeping."

"Nah, getting there." I smiled.

His grin was the cutest thing I had ever seen. It always melted my insides like putty and made me feel like goo.

"Well then…goodnight Bella. I had the most amazing time with you." He whispered, moving my hair back.

I closed my eyes just for a second. Being with him felt so good.

"Goodnight Sam. I had the best time too."

He gave me another one of those smiles and then bent down to kiss my lips.

I welcomed it with ease. I loved kissing Sam. It was the best.

I brought a hand up to his cheek and savored the feeling of him being with me.

"Ugh, gross. Really guys?" Paul grunted.

We pulled away and I rolled my eyes. "Take away my bed, my pjs, my house, and now my boyfriend. Really?" I asked him.

I looked over at Sam and saw him beaming with happiness.

"Well, its better than loosing him permanently." A weird feeling hit my heart. It hurt. It was like I wanted to cry and drown in my sorrows.

A high pitched whimper was sounded through the room and Paul looked guilty.

"Sorry. I meant it as because I could and would have beaten the pulp out of him for kissing my YOUNGER sister, fyi!" he stressed to Sam.

We got over the depressing words and both wanted to hit Paul.

"Ok, whatever Paul. Time for bed. Goodnight Sam. I will see you tomorrow or something. And goodnight Paul. Get me a blanket or something would you?"

They both laughed as I snuggled back into the couch and tried to go to sleep.

"Night Bells."

A few seconds later I was hit with something.

"Here. A blanket." Paul grunted.

"Gee thanks. Love you too Bro." I said sarcastically.

"Sorry." He apologized.

"You going to be ok down here? You sure you don't want me to help you set up your bed?"

I popped open an eye and looked over at him. "I will be fine. Don't worry. Goodnight." I chimed.

"Night sis." He said and then shut off the lights.

Spreading out the blanket, I snuggled into the coming warmth and fell asleep.


	15. Chapter 15

Time flew by. It had already been two weeks since my first day with Sam and two weeks since I made up with Paul.

Everything had been great. Well...almost everything. The more I hung out with the guys, the more I picked up on their strange behavior. Every night, some of the guys would be 'off doing errands' as Sam would call it.

I knew he was lying. I mean how many errands could the guys make?

Of course, I didn't let it bother me. I ignored it and let it be.

I also picked up on the whole growling thing. I was guessing it was over me cause every time I would snuggle with Seth or sometimes Sam, the noise would be sounded throughout the room. Sometimes, Paul or Sam would even shake which kind of scared me.

The guys would all look at each other, Jake or Sam. It was like they were the leaders or something.

But beside all of the funny business it has been great. Sam and I were officially a couple and loving it. He was an awesome boyfriend and the more I spent time with him, the more I felt like I was falling in love with him.

We saw each other at least once a day, and if we couldn't, it would be every other day. It's kind of funny how inseparable we have gotten.

And as for Paul…well he's still crazy and possessive as always.

I know he tries to tone it down when Sam and I cuddle with each other or make some kind of contact, so I try to keep the PDA to a minimum.

The whole housing thing is still an issue with Paul too, but I have learned to roll my eyes and just ignore his comments. I will admit, as some points his snarky comments get to me, but we always end up forgiving each other.

Anyways, today I am getting ready for this big bonfire thing. Apparently Billy and all the guys come to listen to some old tribal stories and stuff.

It sounds like fun. I kind of remember going to something like that when I was little and with Charlie, but its very vague.

Sam is supposed to pick me up and then we are walking down to first beach together. He has been acting a little weird lately. When I told him about the whole Charlie thing and how I sort of remembered, I swear he was about to flip.

He kept asking me if I remembered anything which made me suspicious.

Of course, I repeatedly told him I didn't remember anything because I really didn't.

So now, here I am in the bathroom putting on some makeup and doing all the last minute things.

Just as the doorbell rang I was finished.

"Coming!" I yelled from my bedroom upstairs.

I shut off my bathroom light and grabbed my grey low top converse that laid by my bed. Running off to get the door, I didn't bother putting on my shoes yet.

"Hi!" I said breathless to Sam who was standing there waiting for me.

"Hey." He said nervously. I stood there for a second and cocked my head to the side. Something was off.

"Are you ok?"

He nodded and gave me a smile. "Fine. You ready to go?"

I stared at him one more time before nodding. "Oh, wait. I have to put on my shoes."

He let out a laugh and I gave a blush.

I sat on the steps, putting on my shoes. When I was done I gave a smile to Sam and walked out the door. We were driving to Jake's, even though he was pretty close by.

I was dressed in a grey v-neck tee shirt and a pair of ripped skinny jeans.

We were driving in silence. I stared out the window and watched as everything passed us by. I could feel Sam's gaze on me at least every few seconds.

"Would you quit staring at me? I starting to feel self conscious." I laughed.

Looking at him, I could tell he was blushing.

Since he didn't say anything else I shrugged and turned on some music.

'You Belong with Me' was blasting though the speakers.

I began singing along and messing up horribly. Sam was laughing, so that was a good thing.

Just as we were getting to the chorus we arrived at Jakes. Sam turned off the car and we got out. I was still singing as we made our way to the backyard. Our hands swung together back and forth and he stared at me.

We finally got to where everyone was and I stopped singing.

"Hey guys!" I smiled.

They all waved and Seth came over to hug me. Letting go of Sam's hand, I went off to get food with Seth.

"Ooo, carrots." He said, taking a bunch and sticking them on his plate. I let out a laugh as I watched him. His plate was like a tower.

"What?" he asked with his mouth full of food.

"You can come back for more you know?" I said still laughing.

He rolled his eyes and swallowed his food.  
"You're just jealous."

I looked at him doubtful but nodded none the less.

"Of course, you know me too well. I am so jealous of you and all your food." I said sarcastically.

He rolled his eyes and bumped his shoulder with mine. We began laughing and before he could protest, I grabbed a carrot off his plate and munched on it,

"Hey!" he yelled.

I laughed and looked around. All the guys and Billy were looking at us. Sam gave me a raised eyebrow but I just shook my head laughing.

"Oops. My bad." I told Seth smiling.

He narrowed his eyes at me and moved his plate out of my reach.

"Yea, it's your bad alright." He grumbled and went to add some more good on his plate.

When he was finished putting a whole ass load of food on his plate, we went and sat down next to the rest of the guys.

As it got darker, we lit a fire and eventually Sam and Billy came around.

"Hi." I smiled to Sam.

"Hey." He smiled back. Kissing my forehead, he moved so he was sitting behind me and I laid in-between his legs.

Billy began all of these really fascinating tribal stories about the 'cold ones' and the human shape shifter people.

Apparently, the cold ones drank human blood and were obviously cold skinned. He also described them with super strength and razor sharp teeth. Obviously, it sounded pretty cool. Well all except the fact that you were pretty much a living dead person. That was kind of a creepy benefactor.

Billy also explained a treaty that was once made by the shape shifters and cold ones. I thought it was kind of weird how he made it sound like all this was real. I mean, there are no such things as people turning into big fur balls and vampires right?

Anyways, the treaty was apparently a line separating La Push and the rest of Washington. Forks was the no mans land apparently.

The terms were that the shape shifters wouldn't attack if the cold ones didn't bite anyone or turn them. I thought it was a pretty good idea, and I was amazed that the humans could actually kill one of those walking dead people.

Billy explained a few more things, which sounded kind of familiar. He went into details about the shape shifters and their purpose in life. They were the protectors of La Push.

Personally, I thought it was a huge expectation and responsibility for an 'alpha' as they called it.

I mean, taking care of all the inhabitants in La Push and fighting off bloodsucking creatures, now that was just a lot to handle for a guy…or girl I guess.

When Billy was done, everyone was really quite. I was curious, but didn't really think much of it. Maybe they were just really into the stories?

My heart pounded a little and I knew I was fooling myself. This is why they were acting strange wasn't it?

"Wow, those were cool." I voiced from my dry throat.

As I looked around I found anxiousness written all over their faces. They all kept looking at each other, almost daring for someone else to speak up.

"Bella….do you…." Billy hesitated.

I looked at him funny. What was going on?

Turning around, I looked at Sam, whose eyes were focused on my shoulder.

"Sam?" I asked worried.

The pit in my stomach grew and I knew something was up.

A part of me knew what they were trying to say, but I didn't want to admit it to myself just yet.

"Bella, those stories…" Sam started. He took my hands from my lap and began playing with my fingers.

I waited for him to continue but he seemed speechless.

"They are what Sam?"

He licked his lips and took in a breath. "They are real." He whispered.

I took a sharp intake of breath and looked at everyone. This was a joke right?

"Sam, they are just stories. Myths. They can't be real. A man can't just change into a huge werewolf." I said, denying his answer.

"They aren't just myths or stories Bella." He said shaking his head.

"How do you know?" I croaked with fear. Everyone's stare was beating down on me, watching my reaction.

My breath started to become labored and I felt a bit lightheaded.

"Look at me." He commanded softly.

I shook my head and diverted my eyes. I didn't want to know the truth. Those people were not real. They couldn't be.

"Bella, please." He said, cupping my face with his large warm hand.

Slowly, I took a chance, trusting him with more than my life itself. I looked up to him and found his soft brown eyes analyzing mine.

"I know they are true because that's what we are. We are the shape shifters."

Giving myself a moment, I processed all of this information. _They were werewolves…ok._

"Wait, What?" I squeaked.

As I tried pulling out of Sam's arms, he held me tighter. Freaking out, I felt myself getting a little claustrophobic.

"Wait. Bella! Just wait!" He said.

I looked at him, totally scared and freaked out.

"We are the protectors remember? Nothing bad is going to happen to you. We are still the same guys, nothing's changed." He cooed.

I shook my head and tried again to get out of his grip. I wasn't scared of him; I just…feeling trapped in the corner made me freaked. It only happened one other time…when I was in the car with my mother.

We were driving in the rain, and when the car hit us face on we flipped and then rolled. I was trapped between the pavement and the rest of the car.

When he finally let go and I got away from them I took a few breaths.

My eyes gazed over all of them. _Nothings changed. - _were Sam's words that played over and over in my head.

"I-…." I tried to formulate words in my head but I couldn't. A flash from the accident went past my eyes.

When I looked into Sam's eyes, they were full of hurt and pain which I couldn't bear to see.

"I-….couldn't…I can't….sorry." I stuttered. I was going to explain my behavior, but when I looked at them I felt like the worst person in the world. All of their eyes mimicked Sam's. They were all crushed.

"Bella?" Seth asked concerned.

Seth got out of his seat and held his hands on my arms.

"I…its ok. I'm fine. I-…its ok." I replied. Another flash went past me and I winced.

"I think she has gone nuts." Quil murmured to Embry. I heard a whack and saw Paul giving Quil a murderous glare.

Looking at Paul, I couldn't get over it. He was a werewolf. A giant furry werewolf.

"Bella?" Seth asked again.

Snapping out of it, I looked at Seth.

His eyes were analyzing mine and my pulse began to race.

"Everything is ok." I said, holding his forearms and trying to back away. Unlike Sam, he let me go.

"I get it. You're...werewolves. All of you." I swallowed hard. I didn't want Seth to read me. He could do that better than anyone. They were all focused on my thoughts of them being massive fur balls; but I had different problems.

"And how do you feel about it…?" Embry asked, looking at me closely.

"I…." I didn't know what to say. _I was ok with it… right?_

_**Flash.**_

The voices of my mom groaning out my name in pain hit me.

Running a hand through my hair I took in a breath. My head was starting to throb and my throat was beginning to close.  
"I'm fine with it. I get it…or accept it or whatever. You are who you are…I just need to get out of here." I rushed.

Turning my back to them, I began making my way to the beach just a ways away from Jake's

I could hear Sam's voice call out to me.

"Bella! Wait!"

I felt guilty for not stopping, but I needed fresh air. I needed to think and close away those dark memories I kept hidden away.

-SAM'S POV-

I was about to run and catch up with her when someone grabbed my arm.

I turned back sharply and felt a growl surface in my throat.

It was Billy who was holding me back.

"Let her go Sam." He told me with certainty.

I knew he was right, but I was feeling so angry and upset that she was dealing with all these demons alone made me began to shake.

Calming myself down, I thought of how Billy knew best and she would return.

Nodding my head and sat back down.

We all waited for a few minutes, just letting the time pass in silence.

I glanced at Billy and found him with a sad conflicted look on his face. He was resting a hand on his chin and staring into the fire.

After a while I couldn't take it anymore. Billy was making me anxious and she hadn't come back yet.

"Seth and Jake, will you just go watch over her please? I need to make sure she is ok." I ordered.

Seth looked relieved with the order and Jake looked serious.

He was glancing at his dad, who was still staring into the fire. I watched the gaze between Jake and his dad.

Jake seemed nervous and scared maybe?

"I can have Paul do it." I growled.

Jake snapped out of it and shook his head. "No, I can do it."

I watched as Jake ran off with Seth who was already gone to find my Bella.

That kid. He's may be the youngest of the pack but I envy him. The way him and Bella get along is something I could never destroy or fully understand.

"What's the next step Sam?" Leah asked softly.

I looked at her confused.

"Are you going to tell her about the whole imprinting thing?"

I closed my eyes and hung my head in my hands.

_Was I going to?_

-BELLAS POV-

I sat on the cliff, letting the breeze hit my skin. I was starting to calm down. Back there, where everyone was…it was just…overwhelming.

All the flashbacks and panic attacks. I hadn't had them since I was in the hospital.

Dangling my feet, I stayed there a little longer. I brushed some hair out of my eyes and let my thoughts wander. After a little while, I heard some rustling and the twigs crack from behind me. I knew it was some of the guys.

Sam being Sam, he wouldn't let me go too far. He was way too paranoid. It was like I was some prized possession or something.

"Its ok guys. I will be right there." I told them, not looking back.

I heard a grunt, so I looked behind me. There were 2 giant wolves, laying down some distance behind me.

Smiling slightly, I shook my head at their silliness. I was fine by myself.

After a few more minutes of breathing and closing the visions, I got up and went to the wolves.

I looked at them both for a few seconds, analyzing them.

"Seth….and….Jake?" I guessed.

The wolf on the left, which I guessed was Seth lolled his tongue out to the side and nodded a loopy grin.

Jake nodded and gave me a lick on the arm.

"Eww Jake." I laughed.

I gave them each a rub on the head and had them follow me back.

As we were walking back I could hear Sam's frustrated voice.

"I don't know!" he yelled.

"Well your going to have to decide sooner or later!" Leah yelled back.

When I stepped through the woods, I found Sam and Leah standing up on opposite sides of the fire.

"Everything ok?" I asked nervously.

All eyes turned to me and Sam visibly relaxed.

"Bella." He let out.

Leah sighed and sat back down.

I looked at her and gave her a puzzled look. She met my eyes but shook her head.

Seth and Jake came out of the woods after that and gave Sam a meaningful look. I watched as they all exchanged looks with him. He looked troubled and everyone else looked determined; like Sam was hiding something.

Seth and Jake sat on each side of Leah. It was kind of like they were waiting for Sam to say something.

Just as I was about to ask what was going on, Billy interrupted.

"Well, this old man is off to bed." He grunted, backing away from the fire.

Jake was about to get up and help his dad when Billy said something that shocked us all.

"Bella, would you come and help me. I just have a hard time with the grass and stuff, getting back up in the house."

I looked from Jake to him, puzzled. "Um…sure. Why not?" I laughed of the awkwardness and walked over to him with my hands stuck in my back pockets.

As I walked him back up to his house I turned back to the guys. They were pretty much looking at Billy and I. The way the fire hit against Sam's face, kind of made my heart feel like goo.

We made it all the way to the kitchen. And when I was about to tell him goodnight and go back out to the guys, he stopped me.

"You weren't freaked out when Sam told you, were you?" he asked, sounding almost like a statement.

I bit my lip. I didn't lie to Billy. It was just something I don't do, and never will.

"Nope, not really." I admitted.

"It was when Sam wouldn't let you go that you seemed to panic, almost like your mind was somewhere else." He stated.

I nodded, and stuck my hands in my pockets.

"Care to share?" he asked.

I sighed and looked out their kitchen window. The guys were all yelling again, or at least it looked like it.

"Bella?" Billy asked.

I sighed and turned to him.

"Truthfully?" I asked.

He nodded and encouraged me to go on.

Taking in a deep breath, I began. "Truthfully I was sort of scared. When you told me the legends were real, I just kind of got freaked out. I mean, men…and Leah turning into a bunch of furry dogs was news that you wouldn't get hit with on a daily basis." I joked.

Billy smiled and nodded to continue. "So yea, I was a little freaked out, but then Sam grabbed me…and wouldn't let me go. I wasn't afraid for my safety or anything like that…I was just…."

Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, I continued. "I was having some flashbacks. Some things I didn't want to remember or be reminded of ever again. And I couldn't get rid of them, and when he wouldn't let me go…I just got so-…so scared and I couldn't handle it."

"I didn't want to hurt him." I whispered, bringing my eyes down to the floor.

"Sam." Billy stated.

I nodded. "I saw that hurt look in his eyes, like I wouldn't accept him for who he was; and that wasn't it at all."

"You were just having flashbacks…from the accident." He guessed.

I looked up at him teary eyed. "How did you-….?"

"It's not that hard. The look on your face…it was like you were claustrophobic."

"Please don't-…"

"I wont." He interrupted, knowing what I was saying. The secret was safe between him and me.

"But Bella, maybe you should tell them. Those ghosts aren't easy to keep in the closet." He advised.

I nodded and let out a breath. "Ok, I will think about it."

"Thank you Billy." I hugged him tight and stood back up. It was time to get back to the guys.

Just as I was about to leave, I turned back around and went to the kitchen again.

"Billy, what are the guys talking about?"

He looked at me and sighed. "It's not my place to say. But Bella, please keep an open mind."

My heart fluttered and I raised my eyebrow at him. "What now? Please don't tell me you guys can turn into something else too."

He shook his head and laughed. "No, nothing like that."

I nodded,_ it couldn't be that bad_. "Alright, well I will try and be open minded. Thanks for the advice Billy!"

He nodded and gave me a smile.

"And Bella!" He yelled as I got to the front door.

"Yea?" I asked.

"I'm here if you need me. Ever." He stated.

I nodded and gave him one last smile before walking off.


	16. Chapter 16

As I made my way back to the bon fire, I thought about what the next secret was.

_What else could they possibly tell me?_

I didn't have to ponder my thoughts long because I came to a stop as I made it back to all the guys.

I looked at each and every one of their anxious and emotional faces.

"So does someone want to tell me what's going on?" I asked.

Everyone looked at each other, and then to Sam.

I gave him a raised eyebrow.

"Care to share?"

He sighed and bit his lip.

I found it odd; he usually doesn't show his anxiety. Well, it may be displayed on his face, but the way he bit his lip; the action seemed odd and unusual.

'Sit with me?" he asked.

I nodded and sat in-between his legs, watching the fire.

"So what's going on?" I asked everyone.

"Besides the fact that we are wolves and you took my dad to bed?" Jake asked.

I laughed a little. "Yea…about that."

"What was he saying to you anyways? We couldn't hear you guys." Embry asked.

"Couldn't hear us?" I asked strangely.

Sam's hands slid down my arms and his face came to the side of mine. "Wolves have super hearing, strength and agility. Kind of like the perks to the job."

He gave me a small smile and I kissed his lips quickly.

"One hell of a job." I muttered.

All the guys laughed and we continued to talk about their wolfy powers.

Seth and I were goofing off, while the rest of the guys were talking. Everyone soon became silent and shared that 'look.'

"What?" I asked, looking away from Seth and to everyone else.

They all looked at Sam and waited. I turned in his arms and looked up at him.

"What's going on?"

He sighed. "Keep an open mind." He told me.

I rolled my eyes. "I think I have done a pretty good job with that, don't ya think?" I teased.

Everyone smiled and I could tell a few of the guys were trying to hold in a laugh.

"So what's up?" I asked Sam again.

"Do you remember when we first met?" Sam asked me nervously. He kept playing with my hands, entwining them and stroking them.

"Yea, it was at the beach, right when I was about to leave." I supplied. He nodded.

"Did you feel anything?" he asked.

"Besides hate?" I joked.

Everyone had a small smile, but I could tell how serious the matter was.

My smile began to fade and I answered everything seriously.

"I felt…I don't know. I felt strange and like I wanted to be around you…like I liked you, even though you took away all my friends."

He nodded and swallowed.

"What?" I asked nervously.

Everyone was looking at each other.

"Can someone please tell me what's going on?" I asked hopelessly.

"I love you, you know that right?" Sam asked me.

I turned around and looked at him incredulous. "Is that what this is about? You loving me or something?"

He shook his head.

"I-….I imprinted on you." He let out.

I looked at him confused. Was _that supposed to mean something?_

Taking a second, I thought of what it could mean. _Well…imprint. In an English dictionary that would be like making a mark or impression._

"You...made an impression on me?" I asked confused.

He swallowed hard. "Kind of…"

He took in a deep breath and looked down at me.

"Imprinting…for wolves, its like…its like finding your soul mate…or other half as some people call it."

"Other half?" I asked confused. His whole body was tense and uneasy.

"When a wolf imprints on its mate…they are bound for life. It's like they have this tie between them that can't be unbound or cut."

"Its like finding true love." Jared added. I looked at him, processing this.

After a few seconds, I sucked in a breath. _If Sam imprinted on me that means…_

"No." I let out, putting the pieces together. "No, no, no." I whispered over and over.

"The day I saw you at the beach, when I looked into your eyes…I imprinted. On you." He swallowed, watching as I took in more news.

I stood up and tried to walk away, but our hands were entwined.

"Bella, wait." He said.

"What does this mean?" I asked, bowing my head. I kept my eyes off of him and away from everyone else. _How could they hide this from me?_

He took in a breath. "It means, you are the one for me. It means we are meant to be together…forever. You can't be away from me too long, just like I can't be without you for long periods of time. The imprint has bound us together."

"And that's why you've gotten close to me." I whispered sadly.

He sighed, but never spoke up to deny it.

My eyes filled with tears and I pulled my hand out of his grip.

"I need to go."

I walked away, letting the tears fall freely. I didn't get very far before Jake came running up to me.

"Bella, wait!" He took a hold of my wrist and twisted my body to face him.

I bowed my head and began wiping the free falling tears.

"Get away from me Jake."

"But Bella…."

"No!" I shouted. I wiped away some more tears and looked at his guilty face.

"You knew about this…all along. You were my friend Jake. You were supposed to tell me these kinds of things, and watch my back. But instead you hid things, and let me believe in your stupid lies. You let me make a fool out of myself and fall for someone who just…." I took in a shaky breath, not letting my eyes wander to Sam.

"Bella, it wasn't his fault. Sam had to tell you when the time was right." Paul said gently.

"when the time was right?" I bellowed. I stared at him like he grew another head.

Then, a thought crossed my mind and I felt like an even bigger fool.

"This is why you all tried to mend the past, wasn't it?" I asked them.

"Because Sam had imprinted on me…." I whispered to myself.

They all hung their guilty faces, which just made tears come down even faster.

"I was foolish to ever let you guys back in." I said in low voice. They all knew I was referring to how I let them back into my heart.

"Bella, no. it's not like that. Please, just listen." Seth begged.

"Why?" I cried.

"Because we love you…I love you." Sam said.

I shook my head and pulled away from Jake.

"No Sam, that's just the imprint." I grumbled. I backed away from them and began making my way home.

Walking down the side of the street, I couldn't help to let out sobs. I didn't care if someone was watching me, or thinking I was crazy.

My life felt like it was crashing down on me. They betrayed me…or atleast it felt that way.

I felt like a fool- falling for Sam when it wasn't even real.

Now, I am supposed to be with him forever?

The hurt in my heart ran sharply through my chest. It was like every breath I took was a reminder to the damage they did to me.

I felt like falling to pieces and never getting back up.

When I got home, I could hear the phone ringing. I didn't go and pick it up like I usually would, because I knew who it would be.

_How could they do this to me?_

I locked the door and then ran up stairs to go to bed.

Sleeping was a hard thing to do. Not only was I thougholy depressed but the phone wouldn't stop ringing off the hook.

Everntually, I put a pillow over my head and shut my eyes tightly, waiting for sleep to succumb me.


	17. Chapter 17

The rest of the weekend passed slowly and long. It almost felt like it was never ending. I wallowed in self pity, and avoided the phone and door.

The guys had called, stopped by, and even tried making their way into my house a numerous amounts of time.

I called in sick for the job the first week, claiming I had the flu.

The principal and secretary both understood when I claimed that I didn't want to get my students sick, especially when they had a big project due soon.

So I stayed home. I had enough food and things to keep me occupied and away from starvation.

The only problem was the phone; the calls seemed to die down a bit, but not by much. Every member of the pack called at least once a day, Sam mostly twice. They all left messages saying the same thing.

'I know it's hard, but we should really talk.' Or 'please, let us explain everything. Just call us when you get the message.'

But, I never did. I could never bring myself to. I knew how much they were probably hurting, but the thought of them made me sick; especially Sam.

He was a fake….our relationship was a fake. Every touch…every kiss…the love and passion we had for each other was a total fake.

Sunday night hit and I knew I couldn't call in another week sick.

Not only was I falling to pieces, but my mind was constantly wrapped around Sam.

They were like bittersweet thoughts. At times, I would think about giving him a second chance. I mean, he could help it after all.

But then I thought of how he hurt me. He kept this from me and let me fall for him. He made me think the guys really did want me back. It felt like betrayal.

And everyday, I knew it would get harder. Sam said so.

_You can't be away from me too long, just like I can't be without you for long periods of time. The imprint has bound us together. _His voice echoed in my head.

I shook the voices away and tried to think of what to do.

I decided I needed to see Bex. That little girl always cleared my head and made everything ok again.

Dialing Lila's number, I was hoping to get away soon.

"Hello?" her voice rang.

"Hey Lila, its Bella." I said with a fake cheery tone.

"Bella!" She said happily. "What can I do for you?"

"Is it ok if I come visit Bex tomorrow?" I asked nervously.

"Oh yea, that would be perfect. I bet she would be ecstatic to see you. Did you want to come around 1ish?"

"Yea, that sounds great." I said relieved.

"Alright, well we will see you then!" she chirped.

We hung up the phone after we said our goodbyes. It was getting late, and if I wanted to be in Nevada by 1, I was going to have to wake up early.

By the next day, I was up and ready to go. I grabbed a cup of coffee on my way out of Forks and was on the road.

I pulled up at Bex's house around 1:15ish; making it in pretty good time.

Their house was a perfect place, almost movie like.

It was red brick, and gave off a homey feel.

I walked up to the dark cherry wood door and waited.

"Belly!" Bex exclaimed and ran into my arms.

"Bex!" I laughed, twirling her as she hung onto my arms.

When I set her down, she immediately reached for my hand and dragged me into the house.

"Come on. Beary and I are playing outside!" she exclaimed.

Feeling lighter already, I let her drag me through the house and out to the backyard.

"Hey Bella!" Lila smiled as we passed the kitchen. Lila was sitting in the open family room, holding a book with the TV on.

"Hey Lila!" I waved back. I didn't get to say much more because Bex was practically pulling me to the back doors.

"Come on!" she whined.

Lila rolled her eyes, but said no more.

When Bex and I made it outside, I found she had set up a white round circular table with her stuffed animals and 2 empty spots.

"We are having a tea party!" she chirped.

I laughed and shook my head in disbelievement. I haven't had a tea party since I was a kid.

"Come on." She commanded.

She had me sit in one of the white chairs and wait for further instructions. A while later, she poured the tea and we all have civilized conversations.

Apparently Beary was getting a hair cut soon.

Bex left her chair and ran into the house.

When she came back, I found she had put on one of those pink feathery dress up scarves and a pair of sunglasses.

"Cute." I commented. She blushed and went back to her seat. When the tea party was over, we played on her play structure.

Soon, we go really silly and started chasing each other around the table and the grass.

We must have been playing for a while because Lila called us in for dinner.

"Lets go!" I smiled and stuck a hand out for her to take.

She skipped over to me and took my hand.

We walked to the house full of laughter and jolliness.

"Daddy!" she exclaimed when she saw him in the kitchen.

"Bex!" he grunted as she ran into his arms.

"Hey Carter." I smiled.

"Hey Bella, long time no see." He said while nodding and smiling back at me.

Eventually, we all sat down to eat and talk.

"So your moving to Forks, I heard." I told Carter.

He nodded and continued to eat.

"Yea, jobs transferring me. It should be interesting. Apparently its cold and rainy a lot?" he asked.

I smiled and nodded sympathetically.

"Yea, well unless you will be in La Push, it's pretty much that."

He nodded and we continued to talk. After dinner was finished and the sun was setting, I decided I needed to get back on the road.

"Belly. Cant you stay?" Bex whined.

"I can't Bex. I have to go home. But I will see you soon ok?"

"Belly…" she cried.

"Bex….Bex." I said softly as she held on to me.

"It's ok. I will see you soon. You're moving out by me remember?" I asked her.

She nodded while the tears fell down her cheeks.

"And I promise you…when you come out to move by me, I will be there to help you unpack ok?" I asked her. Wiping her tears, she nodded.

"Alright, now give me one last hug." I commanded.

She nodded, hugging me tight.

When the hug was over, she went to Carter and he picked her up, cuddling her in his arms.

I left after saying my goodbyes, hitting the road, to be home just after 9.

When I pulled up to the driveway, I parked the car and let out a breath.

Between driving, playing with Bex, and coming back to face reality, I was exhausted.

I pulled my keys out of the ignition and got out of the car.

As I walked up to the front porch, I looked up and sucked in a breath.

He was sitting on the front steps, watching me.

"Bella." He swallowed nervously.

Frozen in shock, I stood there with the keys in my hand just taking him in.

"Bella." He said again slow and softly.

"Sam." I gulped and slowly began walking towards him with some composure.

"Bella, look, we really need to talk. About everything." Sam pleaded with me.

I took a deep breath, hoping my heartbeat would calm down and tried to think about something else.

As my eyes diverted to the steps where he once sat, I pleaded in my head he would just sit back down and leave me alone.

"Bella." He said again, bringing his hand to my shoulder to snap me out of my thoughts.

I immediately backed away out of his touched and swallowed hard.

My heart raced again and I practically ran for the door.

"Look Sam, it's been a really long day and I'm tired. Can we just not do this? Ok? I'm really not in the mood." I said trying my hardest not to sound as harsh as it really was. I kept my eyes trained on the key in the door and waited for a resonse.

I could hear him give a sad sigh and analyze me. His eyes burned a path up and down my body.

"Yea, sure. Sorry to bug you." He said sadly.

I briefly looked at him and dropped my eyes back down to the floor.

"Thanks. Goodnight Sam." I told him and then walked in my house and shut the door.

I leaned back against the door and let out a breath. Sam always made me so jittery and gave me butterflies. I wasn't supposed to feel like this anymore.

_It's the stupid imprint!_ My head told me.

I shook my head with disgust and when I composed myself I pushed off the door, set my keys down, and went upstairs to go to bed.


	18. Chapter 18

Another week passed and I think the guys finally got the hint I wanted to be alone. They all kept their distance and Collin and Brady didn't speak a word of the drama that was going on. It was a good thing…a really good thing actually. I was finally getting the hang of ignoring the pain in my heart. It was bad at points, but I pushed myself through it. It only really got bad when I saw Jake, Paul and even Seth. I never really saw Sam, which was a good thing I guess.

Anyways, it was Thursday and I was passing back all of the kid's projects. Most of them did well which I was happy on, except for one. Ben. He was a strange kid, with a dark side. He did his project on a very dark subject about fear in people. I didn't mind, it was really interesting, but it didn't follow any of the assignments rules and guidelines.

After I passed all the papers back, I sat at my desk and let the kids review their grade. Most of them were happy, except for Ben. His fist landed hard on the desk and he looked at me in disgust. I gave him a pitiful look. He got a D+ on the huge assignment.

"What the hell?" he shouted as he stormed up to my desk.

"Ben, calm down." I ordered.

"Calm fuckin down? You gave me a D+! Do you know how hard I worked on this?" he shouted in my face.

"I said calm down Ben." I said in a louder and sterner voice. My chair slid a little from behind me as I got up from the seat to come face to face with the troubled student.

His face was red with anger, but he didn't say a word.

"I gave you that grade because you didn't follow any of the guidelines or rules. All you did was give me a collage of pictures, showing me your topic. I needed more than that. You were supposed to create a portfolio. With details and writings- a lot more than just pictures." I told him.

"This is photography class- photos make up the class." He said with a snarky tone.

I glared at him a little. "No, what makes up the class is my teachings and my rules. This may be photography class, but this is my photography class." I told him in a very stern voice.

He glared at me some more and then went back to his seat, grabbing his books and walking out the door.

I let out a breath and then looked back at the students. They were all looking at me with wide eyes. Thankfully the bell rang, dismissing the class.

"Bella, are you ok?" Brady asked quietly. Collin was standing next to him, looking as concerned as ever.

I looked up to them briefly, my pulse still slightly racing.

"Yea guys. Go to your next class. I will see you tomorrow." I told them, trying to put on a happy face.

They looked at me skeptically but went out the door without a complaint.

I immediately sat in my chair and analyzed what just went down. Never in my life or career did I have to do that. It was a rush of anger and fear. Not a good combination.

I couldn't wait for the day to be over after that. I was shaky and not myself. I felt so guilty yet still so determined that I did the right thing. When the last bell rang at the end of the day, I was out the door before anyone could stop me.

Being home didn't help one bit. It just made me even more jittery not having anything to do. So I decided to go for a run. I grabbed my music and was out the door in sweats.

I ran and ran, letting my emotions ride out and bring me peace. It was about a good 2 hours before I was home and in the shower.

My muscles were beyond sore and I was exhausted. All I wanted to do was eat and go to bed- and that was my plan.

I made myself some pasta, watched some TV, and then went up to bed, calling it a night early.

When I woke up the next morning, I hoped my day would be better.

I walked into the school and everything was surprisingly ok. It was almost like a normal day. Almost.

When it came to the class Ben was in, the good day came to a hault.

He didn't show up at the beginning of the hour, which I was actually relieved at. Then, during the middle of class as I was teaching, he came stomping in, rushing up to me and pulling out a gun.

I drew in a sharp breath, along with the rest of the students.

He held the gun to my temple and stood behind me.

_**Click.**_ He pulled off the safety.

Within seconds hHe had one arm with the hand holding the gun to my head and the other arm holding my shoulders, making his arm press against my neck. I was displayed to the students with a gun held to my head and a hand on his arm that was near my neck. They all shook with fear, their faces all full of panic.

"Ben." I said shakily.

"Shut up." He commanded loudly in my ear.

I closed my eyes and let out a breath. _Breath. Just Breath._ I told myself.

I opened my eyes again and looked at my students. Collin and Brady caught my eyes. They both looked at me innocently with fear. They were shaking a bit which got me even more scared. They could change into wolves and then I would be in even deeper shit.

Putting my mind into gears I took in a few deep breaths and spoke again.

"Ben, you need to let the students go. They are just innocent bystanders."

He didn't respond this time. Just glancing over the class. I can see he was nervous by the way his body was trembling against mine.

"Let them go Ben." I pleaded softly.

"Get out of here." Ben said. The students all just sat there shocked.

"Get out!" He yelled, pointing the gun at them.

I immediately jerked forward, defensively trying to protect them on instinct. He pulled me back, holding me closer to his chest with the gun back on my head.

Collin and Brady were the last ones out, walking a little slower, waiting for some directions of what to do.

I nodded to them, silently telling them to get out of here.

Within a few minutes the fire alarm rang and the loud noise pulsed through the building. The halls were filled with kids and the teachers rushing them out.

"Arg!" Ben yelled, trying to cover his ears from the shrilling noise. He pointed the gun to the alarm in my room and pulled the trigger.

A loud shot rang out of the school and the alarm died in my room.

I flinched at the loud shot of a gun and cowered in fear.

Ben then shoved me to my desk chair and pointed the gun at me.

"You should see your face right now. That was the topic of my project." He spat.

"I know." I said shakily. "I know, I saw it, and it was very interesting."

"And I got a D+ for it!" he yelled, shaking the gun in my face.

"Just because it's a D+ doesn't mean it's not good. It's just…"

"That's shit!" he yelled.

My heart raced in fear and I gripped the chair hard.

"That project…I worked so hard!" He cried and looked away from me. He put his hands on his head and let out a sob.

"Ho-how did you capture their emotions?" I asked shakily. "Did you do what you are doing to me right now?" I asked scared of the answer.

"Huh? You mean did I put a gun to their head? No." he spat.

"They weren't set up!" he yelled angrily.

"No, that's not what I mean!" I said hurrily.

"Look Ben, you are a great photographer. You can capture their expressions better than I even can. And just because I gave you this grade doesn't mean you aren't good. It just means this project wasn't for you."

He let out a small sob as the gun stayed pointed at my face.

"How could you give me a D+?" he said and lowered the gun a little.

"Ben, bringing a weapon into class isn't going to do anything." I said shakily, edging closer to him in my seat.

"Yes! Yes it will! It will change my grade!" he cried out with the gun in my face again.

I backed away quickly and swallowed hard.

"Ben Miller! Let the teacher go and come out." A voice yelled.

Ben's head snapped to the voice and pointed the gun at the area of the door.

"Go the fuck away!" he yelled.

He looked back at me and put the gun back in my face.

"Change my grade." He said.

"No." I said scared.

"Change it!" he yelled.

"I can't Ben." I whispered. "If I change your grade, then that means I let everyone think that they can just waltz in here, holding a gun to my head and expect me to change their grades. I'm not doing that Ben. I can't." I said in a gentle tone.

He was getting scared and frustrated now. I could tell he was nervous by the way his face showed fear and his body stance. He paced the floor back and forth, not looking at me.

So finally I stood up slowly, my body feeling like Jell-O. I walked towards him slowly, my heels clicking against the tile floor.

"Please just put down your gun. I know we can figure this out Ben. You are a good student, and you have got real talent." I said shakily.

"Like what?" he cried, shaking the gun in my face again.

"Like extra credit or staying after school with me and re-turning in your portfolio." I pleaded with fear.

He was becoming more erratic and fearful. The gun was shaking in his hands.

It felt like hours as he weighed his options.

"Put the gun down Ben!" the cop voice yelled.

Finally, Ben set the gun on the table and shouted ok.

The cops ran in and cuffed him. I was in shock as someone led me outside and into the clean air.

Everyone was blocked off and police cars were everywhere. I stood outside at the front of the school and watched as they took Ben away in the car. A woman cop led me to her car and told me she would drive me back to the station to get my statement.

All I could do was nod, as everything played in my head again.

In no time, I was at the station, sitting in a chair next to a desk. I didn't know where the woman cop was, but it didn't matter. I couldn't speak and I couldn't think. All I could see was Ben with the gun in his hand; feeling the cold metal against the temple of my head.


	19. Chapter 19

"Bella!" a voice yelled to me. Warm hands grabbed mine and kneeled down in front of me.

"Bella." He said softly. The warmth of the person's hands broke the rolling film in my head. I looked down at my hands and found familiar ones eloping mine.

I looked down and found my one and only.

"Sam." I said with teary eyes.

"Bella." He said in relief and panic. He got up, keeping our hands together, kissing my head.

He took one his hands away from mine to bring up to my face. Our eyes met and all I wanted to do was cry. The pain in my heart throbbed and my mind was still numb. Sam kneeled back down in front of me.

"Are you ok? Did he hurt you?" He asked, his body shaking a little.

I brought up my free hand and covered it over his, which was on my cheek.

I gave it a small squeeze and let a tear fall. He immediately wiped it away and kissed my forehead again.

As I sat there, thinking about what happened a thought occurred to me. Sam wasn't there to arrest Ben. He wasn't even at the scene, or at least I didn't see him.

"Where were you?" I asked with a scratchy voice.

"I was on patrol this morning and then I had a case with the Seattle police. I'm so sorry I wasn't there."

I nodded and stared at nothing, letting the movie play in my head again.

"Bella." Sam said again, shaking my hands a little. I looked down at him and waited for what he had to say.

"I-…what happened?" he asked nervously.

Another tear fell and I looked away brushing it away myself. I shook my head, silently telling him I couldn't do it.

"Bella, I know it's hard but…"

I shook my head again. "You don't know." I whispered. "You have no idea."

His eyes fell and his back hunched. Suddenly I was hit with guilt. I didn't mean for it to sound mean, it was just…everything going on.

"I-…I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry." I told him as my voice cracked.

He looked up at me shocked and nodded.

"Can you tell me? It-..I just…we need to get your statement too and I thought…"

I bit my bottom lip and looked up to the ceiling, trying not to cry again.

_Of course it would be for the case. Not me. He probably doesn't even care. _I told myself harshly.

_He imprinted on you. Of course he cares! Did you see the look on his face? _The voice commented.

"Bella?" He asked.

"Uley." A cop said. "We need you for a sec."

Sam narrowed his eyes at the men and looked over at me. "I will be right back."

I watched Sam walk away with the cop with a file in his hand. Near Sam was Jared. He was drinking some coffee and looking at me.

As awkward as our stare was with each other I couldn't look away. When I finally did, I took one look back at Sam and found him busy. Then I glanced around the station. It was packed and chaotic. So I ran a hand through my hair and decided to leave. I got up without thinking and made my way out to the front and out the door without a shout.

Nobody noticed and nobody cared, which I was extremely glad for.

"Bella!" a voice called. I inwardly groaned. _I spoke too soon._

I turned around and found Jared running up to me.

"You can't just leave you know. We have to take your statement. Did you get checked out by the paramedics before you left?" he asked, giving me a overlook like Sam did.

"I'm fine and I want to go home." I told him and went to go turn around.

"That didn't answer any of my questions." He pointed out.

I ignored him and walked away.

"Bella." He called again and grabbed my wrist.

Immediately I spun around and broke the grasp.

"Don't." I growled. Part of me was in fear and the other with anger. He couldn't tell me what to do. Especially him.

He backed off and looked at me sadly.

"Bella!" Sam's voice called.

I groaned and closed my eyes. He ran up to Jared and I, and gave us a curious look. I ran a hand through my hair and stared at the gun on Jared's belt.

It gave me shiver; the feeling of it pressing against my head.

"I have to go." I said shakily and turned away suddenly. My heart was racing and I felt nervous.

"Hey." Sam said grabbing me. I pulled away again, just like I did to Jared.

"Don't ok?" I said with a hand on my forehead.

"I just can't do what you want me to right now. I just…I need to go."

"Don't do this Bella." Sam shouted as I walked further away from him and the station.

"Don't run away. "He told me as I slowed my pace.

I stood there for a second, at the side of the road thinking of a response.

"It's what I'm good at." I told him feeling like indulging in self-pity.

The rest of the walk home I thought about how I could have fixed this whole situation. I didn't have to give him such a harsh grade. He did really do a great job. Maybe I wasn't cut out to be a teacher.

I walked inside of my house, locking the door and laying on the couch in a ball.

I felt numb. Everything inside of me was numb and cold.

My eyes closed and I fell into darkness. It was soon that I felt the cold metal press up against the side of my head and I shot up with a start.

No one was here and no gun was to be found. My heart raced and fear cursed through my veins.

A loud knock on my door sounded through the house and my heart accelerated even more.

Slowly, I got up from the couch and went to the door. I unlocked it, my hands sweating. When the door opened and i saw who was standing there, relief washed over me.

Paul immediately grabbed me into a hug, pretty much forcing himself into my house and hugging me for dear life.

"Don't ever do that to me again." He muttered, still hugging me. I didn't know what to do exactly. After getting over the shock of him holding me in his arms, I didn't know whether to hug him back or just wait for it to be over. I decided to wrap my arms around him too. We all know I needed the comfort.

"You ok?" he asked, pulling away slightly to look at my face.

I nodded and forced a small smile on my face.

"You look pale and frightened." Jake inputted.

I looked over to him and he gave me a small sad smile.

"Don't lie to your big brother." Paul growled.

I closed my eyes again and put some space in-between us. He was starting a whole new topic.

"I'm fine, thank you for the concern, but I survived. Ben and I both did."

"So Ben was the punk's name." Seth gritted.

I looked over to the voice and was surprised. I didn't even know he was standing there.

"He's not a punk. He's just a kid. And if that's all you wanted to hear, you can leave." I told him, leaving Paul's arms and making some hot chocolate.

"Bella…" Jake started, walking into the house and shutting the door.

I sighed as I stood by the sink.

"Look, I'm dealing with everything ok? I'm fine…or I will be. So please just…"

"Leave?" a voice asked.

I looked over my shoulder and found Sam and Jared now in my house.

"Great, a wolf pack affair." I said under my breath.

"Bella, we are just worried about you." Sam said, taking a step towards me.

"Well don't." I snapped harshly.

I groaned at how mean I was being as I put a hand on my forehead. I had a headache.

"I'm sorry. Again." I said looking at Sam.

He gave me an understanding nod, and watched me. I put some water in a tea pot and set it on the stove. Then I went and turned to the cabinet for the aspirin.

"Bella, just talk to us." Sam whispered gently in my ear as he stood behind me with a hand covering mine on the aspirin bottle.

"I don't want to talk to you guys Sam. I don't want to share my feelings or talk about my day. I want to just forget about this and go on. I want to continue to live my life the way it was." I told him. We stared at each other for the longest time both determined to have their way. It felt like we were almost having a private conversation.

"Bella!" a voice said relieved and out of breath.

"Are you ok?" Brady huffed with Collin.

I looked at the two new wolves in my house and let out a frustrating breath.

"Yes, I am fine. Thank you." I gritted out.

I took my water off the hot stove and poured it into my cup. Sam was in my space and I didn't like it.

I knew he was doing it on purpose. He was trying to get it out of me. All the emotions and pent up anger and sadness, but I wasn't going to let him win.

"Move Sam." I commanded. He looked at me, not moving.

"Move or I will make you move." I ground out.

"Everything ok here?" A female voice whispered.

I turned and saw Leah now joining us.

"Never mind." I whispered to Sam. I was too tired to fight with him and everyone else.

I made my hot cocoa and tried leaving the room.

"Where are you going?" Sam asked.

"To bed." I said as I walked up the stairs.

I could tell he was going to follow me up, but that's where I stopped him.

"No." I told him, turning around on the steps.

"You can invade my household and my personal space but this is where it ends. You will not come up with me." He opened his mouth to protest, but I spoke again. "I don't care how much you want answers or want to talk; you aren't going to get anything, especially by coming upstairs. So leave me alone." I said in a threatening voice.

With that, I walked up the stairs and shut my bedroom door a little harder than usual.

It was a few hours that I just sat in my bed thinking. The house phone ringed, which I picked up immediately.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Bella, hI!" Lila's voice rang.

"Hey Lila, what can I do for you?" I said a little more cheery than usual.

"Hi Belly!" a little girls voice yelled in the background.

"Bex?" I asked laughing a little.

"Yea!" she shouted and giggled.

"Ok Bex." Lila said to her. "Anyways Bella, I was hoping that since Bex here can't go to sleep you could send us those songs that she likes again? We put the CD somewhere but we have no idea where it is. And Carter and I have tried everything to put this silly girl to bed." Lila said, laughing a little as Bex laughed in the background..

I smiled through the phone. "Of course. Maybe next time I should make a spare CD. Just give me a few minutes and i will get them to you."

"Ok, thank you so much Bella. I'm sorry to bother you. Oh no. Were you sleeping?" She asked.

"No no, don't worry. I was up."

"Ok good. Sorry again."

"Yea, no problem."

"Alright, well Bex, say goodbye."

"Bye Belly!" the girl squeaked.

"Bye Bex. Bye Lila." I laughed.

"Bye Bella." She laughed back and hung up.

I made my way out of my bedroom and down the stairs. All the lights were on but I figured the guys would have left by now.

I peered into the kitchen and found it empty. I then looked into the family room and found it…full?

"What the hell?" I asked coming down the stairs.

"Don't you all have lives? Places to go?" I asked getting frustrated.

"They are all around you." Sam answered for the guys as he looked up and down my body. I rolled my eyes at the cheesy comment and went searching for my laptop.

"Who's Bex?" Paul asked as I entered the family room again.

I let out a huff and found the computer under the table.

"She's….wait. Were you listening to my phone conversation?" I asked appalled.

"Super hearing remember?" Seth said.

I rolled my eyes. "Somehow I think you can control that."

I opened up the laptop and immediately started up the music generator so I could send the music files.

"Those are your P.J.'s?" Brady asked with a smile.

I looked down at my clothes (which was a grey tank top and a pair of blue and white checkered boxers) and rolled my eyes.

"It's too late for this." I groaned as the boys snickered.

I sent the files and then shut down my computer again.

"So really, who is Bex?" Jake asked.

"No one of your concern. Now can you all please get out of my house?" I asked them.

"Not till we get answers." Sam said.

"Damn it Sam." I said to him.

He looked at me seriously. "Bella, you can't do this to us. I know you are afraid, and I know that running away is your defense mechanism, but you don't have to do that anymore."

Anger bubbled in my stomach.

"Why? Because I can trust you? Because I can pour out my heart and soul and everything will be ok because I'm with you?" I asked him with a bit of sarcasm.

"Yes, you can." He said without a hint of joking-ness in his voice.

I shook my head. "No, I can't. Trust isn't something you just have Sam. It's earned. And just because I'm some imprintee doesn't mean shit. I'm a human Sam. A stupid human being. I'm not some toy or prized possession you can fix and keep forever."

"Is that what you think imprinting is?" he asked getting up from his chair.

"I think it's a load of shit." I cussed at him.

"No you don't." Jake said not looking at Sam or me.

"Excuse me?" I asked him.

"Bella, I know you. And don't say I don't because I do. If you thought it was a load of shit you wouldn't have avoided us or run away when you found out the imprinting."

I shook my head, wanting so bad to ignore him.

"Bella, I know it's hard for you to let us in, but you can trust us, we are still your friends."

"No! I can't trust you guys. I can't trust any of you. And I don't want to. I don't want to let my guard down or run into the comfort of Sam's arms. I don't want have you all back in my life again and be fooled into thinking…" I bit my tongue and huffed.

"I shouldn't have-….I shouldn't have said that. Or anything for that matter. Lock up when you leave." I said to them as I shook my head and ran upstairs.


	20. Chapter 20

Saturday was here and I didn't want to get out of bed. I was curious to know if the guys were here, but the other half of me was so upset that they got to me and I said so many things.

A little while after I woke up, I finally made my way downstairs and found everyone still here. They were all asleep, spread out everywhere in the family room.

Part of me felt bad, but part of me just wanted to ignore it all.

I walked into the kitchen quietly and started the coffee. They would want it when they woke up.

I went back upstairs to change into some sweats to go running. When I came back down they were all still sleeping and I was beyond happy.

I grabbed some orange juice from the fridge and poured myself a glass. I looked out the window and just stood there in my thoughts.

_What happens when they wake up? What am I supposed to say? Will they be gone when I get back?_

"Where are you going?" a voice asked.

I turned and saw a tired Paul.

"For a run." I said and put the glass in the sink.

"Sam will kill you when he finds you left while he was sleeping." He warned me.

"I don't care." I said.

"Would you please stop that? Can't you see you how much he loves you and cares for you?"

"Please spare me the lecture ok?" I asked as I grabbed my iPod.

"Bella?" Paul asked, grabbing my arm as I walked to the door. "I know we messed up. Again. But we-….I really need you to just think about trusting us again. I know it's a lot to ask, but I just- I can't go without my sister any longer."

I looked at his hand on my arm and nodded.

He let me go without another word.

"Fresh coffee is in the pot." I said and then walked out the door, shutting it behind me.

I ran three miles and then walked home about 2 miles before running the last mile home.

I walked into the house short of breath and finding everyone still here.

"Bella." Sam said relieved.

I grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and looked at him oddly.

"He was about to call a search party after you." Jared said.

"And then kill Paul." Jake added.

I nodded and rolled my eyes a bit.

"I'm off for a shower." I said and then headed for the stairs.

"Bella." Paul said catching my wrist.

"I know Paul; I just…I got to think ok?" I said softly.

He nodded and I went to shower.

When I was out and dressed, I went back down stairs and saw everyone sitting in the family room talking.

The room got silent as I walked into the room and I didn't know what to say or do.

My hands went to my front pockets and I bit my lip.

"You guys don't have to stay here you know." I told them.

"We want to." Seth said, looking to me.

I swallowed hard and let out a deep breath.

"I know you all want answers or to know what I'm thinking or whatever, but I'm not ready for that. I'm just not ready to let you all back in. So you can all go and get back to your lives. I know you all have things to do." I stated.

I waited for everyone to move and get up and leave, but they never did.

"Ok." I said with a nervous breath. I rocked back on my heels and looked at the door.

"Well I'm going out for a little. Make yourselves at home." I told them and walked to get my coat.

"Bella, why can't you talk to us?" Jake said with a sad voice.

"Because you keep expecting me to just jump back in your arms like I first did. And I can't do that. I don't want to do that." I said softly and then slowly left.

I ended up going to Charlie's grave. I picked up some flowers on the way and sat them next to his grave.

"Charlie, gosh, I don't know what I'm doing!" I told him as I sat on the ground leaning against his headstone.

"I love them, I really do, but being around them…it's like I'm suffocating." I whispered.

"I miss you dad. I wish you were here right now to tell me what to do. Or to just say something." I listened to my surroundings and then spoke again.

"You were never good at the advice thing." I laughed while wiping away a tear. "But I really wish you would just tell me some right now. No matter how lame it sounded."

The rest of the visit, I told him about everything. From when I left here and everything that's happened. I told him all my emotions and thoughts. I especially told him about the situation at school on Friday.

"You would have been so proud of me dad." I said while my eyes drooped a little.

"I was so scared. I thought I was going to die." I closed my eyes, and opened them up again. "I can still feel the sun against my head. It still plays in my head Charlie. But I'm strong. I want to be. For you." I whispered as I ran my hand over the engraving of his tombstone. _Loving father and husband._

"I love you dad." Was the last thing I said before I fell asleep.

_**Flash.**_

Ben running in the classroom.

_**Flash.**_

Ben with the gun to my head.

_**Flash.**_

Ben shooting the fire alarm.

_**Flash.**_

Ben pacing the empty room.

_**Flash. **_

Ben pointing the gun at me.

_**Boom.**_

I'm shot.

I woke up gasping for breath, putting a hand over my heart.

"Bella!" Sam said running up to me with a pair of cut off shorts and no top.

"Come on, a storms coming. We need to get you out of here." He commanded against the loud thunder. He was standing in the middle of the cemetery close to the woods. I noticed Jared a few feet behind him.

I panted, still shaking myself out of the vivid dream, not moving an inch.

_I'm ok, he's not here. Nothing's going to hurt me._ I chanted in my head.

"Bella?" he asked coming towards me in a sprint.

_I fell asleep, nothing is wrong. I'm safe._ I said still ignoring Sam.

"Bella." Sam said squatting down in front of me. He looked me over and took my hand that was over my heart.

"It's ok, you're safe." He said softly.

I swallowed hard and waited for my heart to slow down.

Another clap of thunder and lightning hit above us and Sam's head shot up to the sky.

"Come on, we need to get you out of here. You're freezing and it's not safe." He stated while scooping me up in his arms.

I tried wiggling away from him but he held me tight.

"I know your cold, just let go for now ok? We can fight later." He said looking down at me while walking towards the woods.

I looked into his eyes and relaxed just a little. _I was safe. Sam was here._

Sam broke the stare with me and nodded to Jared. Jared ran off and turned into a wolf, guiding us home.

Halfway through the walk home it started to rain a bit. We had a lot of shelter from the woods but it was still pretty damp. Guilt hit me as Sam continued to carry me.

"Sam, I'm heavy, put me down. I'm ok and I can walk now."

He looked down at me and held me to his chest closer.

"You're light as a feather and I don't want to put you down. You can catch a cold or worse from this weather and rain. Just let my body heat keep you warm." He said.

I let out a breath and considered my options. It was wet and cold, that was for sure. But did I really want Sam carrying me the whole way?

_Just let it go. Enjoy listening to his strong heartbeat like you once did._ My mind told me.

And that's when I gave up. I nodded to him and laid my head back on his chest to listen to his heart.


	21. Chapter 21

I got back to the house freezing wet and shivering a bit.

"Bella!" Paul shouted and came rushing to us.

"I'm fine. Just a little cold; Don't worry." I said while still holding onto Sam's neck.

"Let's go get you cleaned up and into some dry clothes." Sam said, walking to the stairs.

"No, it's ok. I can do it." I told him, telling him to set me down.

His face became gloomy but he let me down none the less.

"I will be right back." I told them all and ran up the stairs. As soon as I got to my bedroom I began stripping out of the clothes.

_How could you be so stupid Bella? Falling asleep at the cemetery_. I cursed myself as I walked around my room getting fresh dry clothes.

When I was done getting dressed, I headed downstairs to the pack.

"Hey." I muttered softly as they (Paul, Seth and Jared) made room for me on the couch.

"Dude, this storm is crazy." Embry said.

"No kidding." Quil commented.

"Bells." Paul whispered.

I let out a sigh and nodded. "I know Paul ok?" I said slightly frustrated.

He gave me a knowing look but dropped the topic. All eyes were on us at that point.

I shifted in my seat, feeling uncomfortable with the silence and the stares. Finally I got up and went to the kitchen to make some hot chocolate and enjoy my own peace.

"Bella?" a voice asked softly.

I turned my head, finding Seth in the doorway.

"Hey Seth." I said softly looking down at my hot cup of chocolate.

"Can I sit?" he asked referring to the kitchen chair across from me at the table.

"Sure, go ahead." I said without a thought.

I stared out the window, observing the dark rainy night till Seth spoke up.

"We really skrewed up didn't we?" he asked softly.

I closed my eyes for a second, not finding myself sure if I wanted to talk about this topic.

_It's now or never Bella Swan._ I thought to myself.

"It's not so much as trusting you anymore. It's more about trusting myself." I told him softly.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I don't know if I can be the same person you all expect me to be." I whispered as I looked in my mug.

"Bella, we aren't expecting anything from you except your forgiveness."

"You're so sure I can do that." I pointed out to him.

"Of course I can. For as long as I have known you, you have the biggest heart of a person I have ever seen. You don't give yourself enough credit."

We both went silent again, and this time, I was the one to speak.

"I-….You all expect me to forgive you. And I get that. I can't punish you all forever, but you also have to know that I can't just hop into a friendship with you all again like I did. I made that mistake way too many times for my liking now." I muttered at the end.

"And us?" Seth said with hope in his eyes. I let out a frustrated sigh and looked at him.

"I don't know where we stand Seth. I barely know where I stand with any of you guys."

"Bella, please. I need some sort of answer." He pleaded.

"I want you to be my best friend again Seth. I want to have all those good times again and do all the things that we promised."

"But?" he asked slightly scared.

"But I don't know. I don't want to hold back, but I feel like I need to. I don't want to make the same mistakes I already have Seth."

Seth's eyes casted down and he looked heartbroken.

"You mean you don't want to get heartbroken by me again." He said bluntly.

"I…" I tried thinking of something to make him feel better, but I didn't know exactly what to say.

"I love you Seth, you know that right?" I said after a minute.

Seth looked up and met me directly in the eyes.

"You mean that?"

I let out a laugh. "Of course I do. I will love you forever, no matter what happens, even with this dumb shit."

"I love you too Bells." He said with a smile.

A small growl was sounded through the house and I sighed.

"I guess we should go talk about our feelings now?" I grumbled.

Seth gave a bright smile and wrapped his arm around my shoulder as we walked into the room full of wolves. He gave a quick kiss to my head and sat down.

I decided to just go with what I was feeling (besides tired). I went over to Sam, who was sitting on the comfy recliner chair and plopped down on his lap.

I could tell he was shocked, by the way his body froze and the relaxed with his arms around me.

"I know I have been acting totally off the wall, and I'm sorry." I muttered to everyone, especially him.

"It's ok." He whispered and kissed my head.

I let out a breath. "I don't know exactly if I'm ready to forgive you all completely, but I want to try, if that's ok." I told them.

Grins were spread across the room and everyone nodded and smiled.

"That is totally fine by us." Jake said.

We all talked a while after that, and I listened as my eyes drooped.

"Let's get you to bed." Sam whispered to me.

"I'm ok. And you know, you all can go home now. I'm not sure if the living room of this house is that comfy." I said to everyone.

Everyone shrugged their shoulders. "It's fine with me. And it's still pretty bad. Mind if we stay?" Jared asked.

I shrugged my shoulders back. "Sure, you can do whatever you like…within logical reason." I added.

Everyone let out a small chuckle and Sam patted me off his lap.

"Bed. Come on." He ordered.

I rolled my eyes but stomped to the stairs. On the way there, I gave Seth a kiss on the cheek and said goodnight to everyone else.

"No kiss to your brother?" Paul asked faking hurt.

I rolled my eyes and blew him a kiss. "That's the best you are going to get buddy boy."

Everyone laughed except Paul as Sam and I made my way to the bedroom.

As I crawled into bed, I pulled Sam with me, bringing his body close to mine so I could snuggle.

"Bella, where do we stand?" he asked in a very hopeful tone.

I let out a sigh and let my heart speed up.

"I don't know Sam. I want to say back where we were, but that is just fooling ourselves."

"Do you still love me?" he asked.

I lifted my head from his chest. "Of course I still love you. How could I not? Sam you are still an amazing person, even if I couldn't see that at first. I know you tried your hardest to do what's best for me and I know I reacted unfairly."

"No, you didn't." he commented.

"Sam, just because I was mad at you doesn't mean I didn't love you, and it sure doesn't mean I don't love you. I love you with most of my heart." I smiled and kissed him.

"Most?" he asked.

"Well Seth and Paul and everyone else of course."

"Seth?" he asked squeezing my hip.

"Yup, I love him. Lots. And even though I love you, loving him doesn't change either."

Sam let out a small animalistic growl and I rolled my eyes.

"Cool down Papa Wolf, it's a different kind of love."

Silence was brought upon us again till Sam kissed my head.

"I love you."

"And I love you." I told him before closing my eyes to fall asleep.

_**A/N: Continue with more?**_


	22. Chapter 22

I woke up with a small gasp and in cold sweat.

As I looked over in the semi darkness I found Sam still sleeping beside me.

I was having the dream again. The one with Ben.

Slowly and carefully I got out of bed, trying hard not to make a noise to wake up Sam.

My were soaked with sweat and I felt shaky. After grabbing some new clothes I headed for the bathroom. As I walked into the now luminous room, I caught a glance at myself.

I looked like crap. I was pale and weak looking. My hair was a mess and I looked almost frail. Swallowing hard, I shut the door quietly and tried to calm myself down.

Pull yourself together Bella. I thought to myself.

I decided to splash my face with some water, hoping that it would wake me up some more.

As I leaned over the sink, splashing water over my face, the door creaked open and in stepped a sleepy Sam.

"Hey." He groaned rubbing his eyes.

"Hey, what are you doing up?" I asked looking at him through the mirror.

I have patrol with some of the guys this morning. What are you doing up so early?" he asked now getting used to the light and being up.

"Nothing." I said and then wiped my face.

"Why do you have an extra pair of clothes sitting there?" he asked looking at me through the mirror like I did with him.

"Umm…" Hurriedly I thought of something.

"I was all hot and sweaty from your body heat. I forgot what it was like to sleep next to you." I lied.

He looked at me, knowing I was hiding something, but nodded none the less.

"Well, I will change out here and let you get ready." I told him in a hurry. I grabbed my clothes and was about to step out of the bathroom when Sam blocked my way.

"You sure you're ok?" he asked me.

"Yea," I smiled. "I'm all good."

He nodded again and bent his head down to kiss me, which I happily accepted.

After the short but loving kiss, he made his way into the shower while I changed in the room.

I tried lying back down, just listening to the shower run, but I couldn't sleep. Instead, I laid there thinking about my nightmare. It made Goosebumps appear.

I covered my temples with my hands, still thinking about the feeling of the gun. Tears surfaced to my eyes and I was overcome with this emotion to just let out an angry cry.

"Hey." A voice said breaking me out of my thoughts.

I looked over and saw Sam kneeling down beside my side of the bed with a concerned look on his face. I sucked up my emotions and put on a happy face.

"Hey." I said in a fake cheery voice while moving my hands away.

His concern didn't fade and he ran a hand over my cheek.

"I love you, you know that right?" he asked me.

I gave him a true smile this time and nodded.

"Of course I do."

"Then you know you can tell me anything right?" he asked me again with a hint of emotion in his voice.

I looked at him and broke my stare.

"I know Sam." I whispered.

We stared at each other for a little longer before Sam finally got up and kissed my head.

Without saying anymore words, he walked to the door to leave for patrol.

"Sam?" I asked shakily, watching him leave.

He turned around and looked at me.

I got out of bed, pulling the covers off of me and walked to him. He held his arms open for me and I hugged him tightly, burying my face in his shoulder.

When we broke away, I leaned in, standing on my tip toes to give him a kiss. The kiss got deeper and sweeter, making us move our bodies to the wall.

We stayed in close contact with each other, breathing deeply. As his body covered mine against the wall, I put a hand over his cheek and rubbed it with my thumb.

"I missed you." I spoke.

His eyes met mine and then fluttered closed. He leaned even closer, his head snuggling into my neck and pecking it with kisses. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the feeling of him.

"I missed you too." He whispered while putting our foreheads together. My eyes fluttered open and we stared at each other for a while. We both took a second, closing our eyes and just holding each other.

Banging was heard downstairs and we opened our eyes.

"You should get going; the guys are waiting for you." I whispered.

Sam's eyes fell and he nodded.

We kissed one more time and had a hard time pulling away from each other.

My arms found their way around Sam's neck and his found their way to my waist.

"I love you, always." I told him in his chest and loosened my grip on his neck.

He let out a groan and hugged me tighter.

Finding a smile grow on my face, I let out a small laugh and pulled his arms away.

"Come on you goof. Let's go."

I dragged him downstairs and found the guys waiting for him.

"Dude, what took you so long? You said 530. No but's about it." Jared said slightly annoyed.

"Yea man, we've been ready." Embry told him.

"Sorry boys. I stole him for a little longer." I told them while heading into the kitchen.

"Oh, it's ok Bella." They then said.

I rolled my eyes and let out a little laugh.

"Let's go boys." Sam commanded.

After the door slammed, I watched from the kitchen window as they headed out to the woods. Sam waved to me and I gave him a smile.

In a flash, he was gone and off to do his alpha role.

As I cooked breakfast, arms wrapped around my waist and a chin rested on my shoulder.

"Hey you." I laughed.

"How'd you know it was me?" Seth asked.

I looked over at him, taking my eyes off the pancakes.

"It's always you." I smiled. He looked at me in a knowing look and I rolled my eyes.

"Ok, so maybe you have a distinct smell. A good one." I smirked and kissed his nose. He laughed a little and watched me cook.

"Need any help?" he asked, still standing behind me with his arms around me.

"Sure, wanna turn on some music and start chopping up some fruit?" I asked him.

He nodded and reached over me to turn on the radio.

"Sparks Fly" came on by Taylor Swift. I didn't know the song very well, but I sang it none the less.

Seth and I were working productively until he slipped on a grape while passing me the flour and fell backwards.

Flour covered his face and I couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Are you ok?" I laughed while holding out a hand to him.

"I am now!" he laughed and dragged me down to the mess.

I let out a squeal and laughed along with him.

"Seth!" I laughed as I looked at myself. I was now covered with flour.

We started a food fight, not caring how much of a mess we were making.

The rest of the guys which consisted of Leah, Jake, and Brady all ran over to the kitchen and looked at us.

Seth and I took their stunned opportunity to smirk and grab a pile of food to throw at them.

Soon, they were a part of the fight and we were all making a huge mess.

Who knew how long it was before the guys came home, but when they did, they were shocked to say the least.

"What the…?" Paul asked.

"Hey!" I said happily and then quickly ducked.

"What the hell is going on?" Sam asked.

"Oh loosen up Sam." Leah said while she and I hid against the table.

Sam went to talk over to us, when he intercepted a flying maple syrup pancake thrown by Seth. It hit him smack in the back and all went quite.

I was trying hard to hold back my laughs but I couldn't and ended up laughing my ass off. Leah was soon after me and then Jake and everyone else except Seth.

Seth had fear in his eyes and he quickly ran to hide by me and Leah.

"Nice going Seth." Leah laughed.

I continued to laugh but snuggled up to Seth.

"It's ok. Nice shot." I laughed again and kissed his cheek.

Growls were sounded through the room and I narrowed my eyes at the jealous men.

"Oh it's on now." I said and began throwing food at the men in the doorway.

They all soon started to duck for cover and throw things back.

We were all laughing and having a good time till we ran out of food.

"Oh man, that was awesome." I huffed with happiness.

Seth was just about to agree with me, when I was picked up into a strong pair of arms and twirled around.

"AHH!" I laughed and smiled.

As I was swirled back to the ground, I smiled up at Sam and let him kiss me hard.

"Good to see you too." I laughed. He smiled back at me and kissed me again.

After everything was semi cleaned up, Sam had me go take a shower.

"The guys can take care of this." He told me.

"Are you sure?" I asked, feeling bad.

"Yes." He said and pecked my lips with a kiss.

So I went up and showered. When I was out and clean, I headed back downstairs and found the kitchen clean.

"Nice job guys." I smirked and kissed both Seth and Sam.

"Do you have to do that Bella?" Paul groaned, referring to me and Seth.

"Jealous much?" I challenged Paul.

"No." Paul growled.

"Bella, its ok." Seth whispered, trying to make me back down from a fight.

"No, it's not." I snapped.

"He's not even yours Bella." Paul growled.

"Is he yours Paul?" I asked.

Paul twitched and growled a no.

"I didn't think so. I can kiss whoever I want, whenever I want. So back off." I said between my clenched teeth.

"No you can't. I'm your brother." He said, shaking a bit.

"Paul, stand down." Sam commanded.

I let out a breath and tried to calm myself.

"Then start acting like one." I bit and then raced out of the house, slamming the door.

As I stomped down the stairs, I found Jared now fresh and clean in his cop uniform walking up to the house.

"Everything ok?" he asked.

"Yes. No." I huffed. Jared stopped and looked at me.

"it's just Paul being Paul." I said in a sad tone.

"Don't worry Bella, whatever it is, he will come around. He is just overprotective about you because well…your you." He laughed a little.

A smile grew on my face and I looked at him.

"Thanks."

He nodded.

"Ready to go back in?" he asked.

I looked at the door and shook my head. "No, I think I'm gunna go for a little walk."

As I turned around, making my way down to the beach, Jared came running up to me.

"The beach sounds like a good place to be. Mind if I join you?" he asked me.

"Nope, your welcome to." I smiled.

We walked in silence for a little bit then Jared spoke.

"What happened this morning?"

I looked at him confused.

"Sam was thinking about his day…he wasn't being very careful, and…we just saw you in the bathroom this morning. He was concerned." Jared explained.

"Wait…how did you…?"

"When we are wolves, we can each other's thoughts. It's like a movie playing in our heads." He cut in.

I nodded and took in a deep breath.

Taking a leap of faith I told Jared everything.

"I've been having nightmares about everything that's happened with Ben, the kid at my school." I swallowed hard.

"I know it's stupid. I mean he didn't even do anything, but every time I close my eyes…or just…or just let myself think about him…it's like I can feel the gun against my head. I can remember every word he's said and everything he's felt. It's like a movie in my head that I can't stop. Every time it's like a different ending. Sometimes he shoots me, sometimes he…he doesn't make it." My voice cracked and I took another deep breath.

"I'm scared." I whispered.

"Bella…" Jared said compassionately.

"Would you come back with me to the station? Maybe if you finally talk about what happened in the room everything will go away. Maybe giving your statement will heal just a small part of you." He said.

I swallowed hard and nodded.

"Yea, I like that idea." I wiped away a tear and smiled at him. We made our way back to the house and went to grab his car.

I went in the house grabbing my purse while Jared told the guys he was off to work.

"Where are you going Bells?" Seth asked me, grabbing me into a hug.

"Just out. Don't worry about me." I smiled at him and kissed his cheek.

"Bella?" Sam asked as Jared walked out the door.

"I will be back later." I kissed his lips and walked out of his arms.

"Hey." He said grabbing my arm.

"I love you. And I don't care about your relationship with Seth ok?" he told me.

I gave him a smile and nodded.

"Thank you. I love you too." I kissed him again and walked out of the door.

Jared was waiting for me, opening my car door.

"Thanks." I smiled. After he closed it, he ran to his side and we were off to the police station.


	23. Chapter 23

We pulled up to the police station and my heart fluttered a little faster.

"Ready?" Jared asked me.

I nodded my head and got out of the car, taking in a shaky breath.

I walked in with Jared, my hands in my pockets.

"You can sit here. I will be right back, I just have to punch in." he told me sweetly.

I gave him a small smile and sat down in the chair next to his desk.

As I sat there, I looked at all the pictures. There were some with the guys and many of him and Kim.

"Alright." He told me sitting down. Jared looked over to me and caught my line of sight.

"The pictures…they are…" I said unable to form words.

"Yea. I know." He said somehow getting what I was saying.

"Bella?" he asked me after a few minutes.

"Yea….right. The statement." I said getting down to business.

"Ok, so can you take me through what happened?" Jared asked in a professional tone.

"Well…" I said swallowing a lump in my throat. And that was when I came clean. I told him everything I remembered. I went through everything, just staring at a blank space while the movie played in my head. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see him jotting down notes, but he didn't take many considering he had a tape recorder by me.

At times, my voice would falter a little. Jared would tell me to take a minute and after I did, I went on and continued. When I was done, it was like I felt this weight slightly lift.

"Well Bella, I think we can take it from here." Jared said taking a breath and shutting the folder.

"Jared? What's going to happen to Ben?" I asked slightly fearful for the kid.

He let out a sigh and looked at me. "For the stunt he pulled, he is probably going to be facing some jail time." My face fell and Jared could tell.

"He took possession of the gun illegally and took you hostage Bella. He needs to be in jail."

"But he's a kid Jared. He's just a kid." I whispered.

Jared leaned his body down to face mine.

"No Bella, he isn't just a kid. A kid would know never to hold someone at gun point, especially you. He was just a teenager that was overly angry. That's it." He tried justifying.

I bit my lip and let out a breath. I still couldn't help feeling like it was partially my fault for what happened.

Just as I was about to tell him my thoughts, a man interrupted.

"Yo Jared, when is Sam coming into the station?"

Jared let out a small growl and looked over at the man.

"Ken, I'm busy? And he isn't working today. He might pick up some paperwork later though." Jared answered.

The guy named Ken immediately backed off and left us alone. Jared looked back at me and I swallowed hard.

"Well, thanks for everything Jared. I'm glad I could get it off my chest." I let out with a small laugh.

His face fell and he nodded.

"Yea, no problem Bella. Have Sam text or call me when you get home?"

I nodded and stood up. Before I made my way out, I looked back at him.

"See you soon?"

He gave me a slight nod and smile.

"Yea, see you around."

I went to walk out but before I could make it, Jared called out to me again.

"And you know Bella; you can visit here once in a while. This place isn't so bad after a while." He smiled.

I returned the happy gesture and smiled.

"I will keep that in mind."

I walked out the door and made my way back home.

As my house came into view, I could see Sam in the kitchen on the phone. He turned and saw me and then hung up with whoever it was.

"Hey." I said softly as he opened the front door.

"Hey." He said bringing me into a hug and shutting the door.

"Is everything ok?" I asked slightly confused.

He nodded and kissed the top of my head.

"Yea, I'm ok. Jared called a while ago saying you were on your way home…and it was a while ago and…-"

"-You were getting nervous." I completed his sentence.

He slightly blushed and I gave him a smile.

"Silly man." I chuckled and kissed his lips.

He groaned into the kiss and held my waist tighter.

When we broke I looked around the house and found it empty.

"Where is everyone?" I asked slightly shocked.

"I made them go home." He told me.

I nodded and smiled mischievously. "Interesting."

Sam leaned down, capturing my lips into another intense kiss. My back was now against the front door as his body leaned into mine. He kept a hand on the wall and the other on my hip. Our lips were locked and our eyes shut.

Being with Sam made me tingle inside- Everything from the way he kissed me to the way his ripped muscles contracted and pressed against me.

When our moment of passion settled down, we just looked at each other.

The phone rang, interrupting us again and Sam groaned in frustration. I gave a quick kiss to his lips and went to get the phone.

"Don't forget to grab your paperwork from the station." I told him and then picked up the phone.

"Hello?" I asked.

Sam came up behind me and kissed my neck. I let a smile etch on my face and tried my hardest to hold back a giggle.

"Hey Bella. It's Seth." The boy said.

"Seth, what's up?" I asked trying to maneuver my way away from the kissable Sam.

"Can you hang out for a while?" he asked.

"Sure, where at?" I questioned, slightly looking at Sam for approval. Of course, he wasn't paying any attention, still kissing my head and side of my face.

"My mom's diner?" Seth asked.

"Sounds perfect. Meet you in 10?" I questioned.

"Sure. Thanks Bella."

"No problem Seth. See you soon!" I squealed at the last part as Sam nipped at my neck. The phone was taken out of my hands and quickly hung up.

Sam spun me to face him and kissed me hard on the lips. My hands wrapped around his neck and I ran my fingers through his hair.

We broke again, this time both of us huffing for breath.

"I meant what I said earlier. I don't care about your relationship with Seth….as long he isn't your boyfriend or anything." He told me with a smile.

I let out a chuckle and shook my head. "Alright lover boy, now can you let me go so I can quickly get ready?"

Sam raised an eyebrow. "In that case never!" he laughed and then kissed my neck again while picking me up and setting my feet on top of his to walk out of the kitchen.

I laughed even more, partially for his kisses and the other part because of his playfulness.

He walked us to the stairs and I smiled at him sweetly.

"Thank you." I kissed his lips.

"You're welcome." He smiled.

"Not just for the ride. But everything…with Seth and all." I told him.

He kissed my nose and put our foreheads together.

"Hey, I just want you to be happy. I know you are with me, I mean its me." He smirked. I tried to hold back a smile, but it was a challenge.

His tone became a little more serious. "And I think I've finally realized I have to share you with the world, even though I tend to disagree with it." He smirked again.

I smiled and shook my head laughing.

"I love you." I told him and then let go to go get ready.

"I love you too." He said and let my waist go.

After freshening up a bit I headed downstairs happy as a clam.

"Hey." Sam said meeting me at the end of the stairs.

"Hi." I said happily.

He gave me a quick kiss and pulled me down the last step.

"Since your leaving, I think I am going to go pick up the paper work from the station."

I nodded and grabbed my purse.

"Sounds good. Meet you back here in like an hour or two?" I questioned behind me.

He grabbed my waist after shutting the front door behind him and kissed my cheek.

"Sounds perfect. Then we can finally have a night to ourselves." He groaned in happiness.

"Shhh…don't curse it." I whispered to him, covering his lips with my index finger.

We gave each other a quick kiss and Sam opened my car door.

"Why thank you Sir." I chirped with happiness.

"You're quite welcome." He smiled back.

I reversed out of the driveway with Sam close in front and we were both off in our own directions.


	24. Chapter 24

I met Seth inside the Diner. He was waiting for me at a booth by the window. I walked in from the parking lot and opened the front door, hearing the little bell ring signaling I was here.

I took a sharp breath. The last time I was here, I was the enemy.

You weren't really the enemy Bella, get a grip of yourself. The voice told me.

I took a deep breath and walked over to where Seth was.

"Hey." I said as I slid into the booth.

"Hey, you ok?" he asked slightly confused.

"Yup." I said and took a menu which sat on the table.

"Bella?" Seth asked me, still staring at me.

I let out a breath and looked at him.

"It's just…the last time I've been here…-"

"-Oh." Seth said. "We can go; I mean we don't have to stay if you don't want to…."

"No, I want to stay. Don't worry about it. It's just kind of a weird feeling being here with you again."

He nodded and looked at me again as I stared at my menu.

"Stop that Seth. I can feel you watching me. I'm fine."

He let out a small sigh and then looked at his menu. We both ordered soon after the small silence and waited to break the ice.

"What's up Seth?" I asked not being able to take the silence.

"Nothing, I just wanted to hang out with you."

"Like old times." I said suspiciously.

He bit his lip guilty.

"Seth, I meant what I said. I want to go back to the way things were…I just don't know if I can."

"I know." He said sullenly. "I just thought I would try."

Guilt hit me hard and I felt massively bad. So I decided to do something I thought I would never do anymore.

"Skrew it." I whispered to myself.

I let go of all my harsh feelings and just opened up. I tried my hardest to look at Seth like I did before- with no anger or hatred. Just my best friend who I loved till the worlds end.

We talked for hours, sitting there eating and laughing.

He learned all about my college life and career, and I learned about all his wolf duties and activities. The only thing he didn't know would probably be Bex. I didn't know if I really wanted to tell any members of the pack about me trying to adopt a kid. I mean, it sounds silly…or kind of ridiculous. I'm not married, I didn't have a true house at the time and I had no idea how to be a parent…apparently it was stupid of me to think I could be a mom.

"Bella?" Seth asked.

"What? Oh, Sorry, kind of zoned out there." I said with a nervous chuckle.

He looked at me suspiciously. "What were you thinking about?"

"Nothing." I said. I looked down at my watch and found it had been two hours already.

"Hey, I have to go. Sam and I made some plans." I smiled.

Seth looked at me and shook his head smiling. "Alright, well thanks for coming Bella." He told me after we both slid out of the booth.

"Anytime Seth." I told him with a smile.

He smiled right back and I grabbed our hands, letting them swing between us as we began walking out of the dinner. I could feel how hesitant he was at first, but I kept a tight grip and dragged us outside. As we walked to our cars in the parking lot Seth twirled me around and we both laughed.

He opened my door for me and waited for me to get in.

"Seth?" I asked still keeping our hands together.

He looked at me and our hands.

"What's up?" he asked softly.

I looked up and met his eyes. "Don't let Paul and his words get to you ok? I don't care what he says, you were my everything first. And just because things have changed doesn't mean that that is going to change anything. Got it?" I asked.

He looked at me and swallowed hard. "Bella, I know that we both have something that nobody can understand but…."

"No." I said strongly. "Sam understands. He gets…whatever we have." I said frustrated.

"And even if he didn't, he would have to because you are the one that made me me before any of them did." I said referring to the rest of the pack.

"I'm not going to lose you just because not everyone can understand Seth." I whispered sadly.

Seth walked closer and kissed the top of my head.

"You will never lose me, but by choosing me Bella, you are losing your brother."

"No, I'm not. He is going to have to understand it one way or another or he is going to lose ME." I said forcefully.

"Bella, just think about this." He said carefully.

"I have Seth. And I'm tired of looking for someone's approval. I want to do what makes me happy. And for once I can have that WITH Sam's approval."

Seth nodded and kissed my head again.

"I love you Seth." I whispered to him.

"I know." He whispered back. "And I love you too…no matter what."

We let go after staring at each other for a little. I started my car and Seth watched me drive away.

When I got home I was tired and not the happiest.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Sam asked when I came in and walked upstairs.

"Nothing." I said and plopped on the bed.

"Bella?" Sam asked concerned.

"Sam, I just…I don't want to talk about it right now ok?" I asked him still looking up at the ceiling.

The bed dipped beside me and a warm body lay next to me.

"Ok, but I will be here when you do." He said softly.

My eyes fluttered closed and I tried hard not to let the tears fall.

Unfortunately they did and Sam's concern grew.

"What happened Bella?" Sam asked.

I let out a shaky breath and tried to wipe away the tears.

"I don't want to choose." I whispered.

Sam sat up and looked at me confused.

"I thought I could…and I pretty much did, but then when I was coming home I just-…"

"Bella. What are you talking about?"

"Seth….he just doesn't…he doesn't want me to-…and ugh, Paul he is being such a-…."

More tears rolled down my cheeks and Sam cuddled with me.

"Sam, what am I going to do?" I asked him as I buried my face in his hard muscular chest.

"Bella." He sighed and hugged me. "You can't please everyone. You have to do what's right for you. And if being with Seth is what you really want and need, then you should stay with him. Paul is Paul, he will come around."

I closed my eyes and just hugged Sam closer. After a few minutes of thinking, I spoke again.

"How was the station?" I asked.

"Good." He replied with a sigh.

"Did you talk with Jared?" I asked again.

"yes." He said.

"…and did you read it?" I questioned, referring to my statement.

"no." he whispered. I moved my head to look up at him. I was surprised. He wanted to know what happened that day. I know he did. I could feel it.

"Why not?" I questioned.

He looked down at me. "Because I want you to tell me when you're ready. I don't want to read some file about it or hear the recording of your voice. I want you to tell me when you feel it's right."

I put a hand on his cheek and gazed into his eyes.

"Then can I tell you?" I asked softly.

He moved his head down to kiss my lips softly and then broke away. "Whenever you're ready." He encouraged.

I told him what I told Jared but with Sam, it was more of an emotional story than with Jared. After I was done all Sam could do was kiss me.

"Sam, I don't-…I don't want Ben to go to jail." I whispered.

"What?" he asked.

"I don't want him to go to jail. I know-…I know what he did was wrong, but I can't help but feel like it was partly my fault."

"Bella, this was not your fault." He growled.

My heart raced a little and Sam immediately calmed down.

"Bella, you can't think that. What he did was…unacceptable. He could have hurt someone."

"But if I didn't give him that grade-…"

"Then you wouldn't have been the teacher doing her job." He filled in.

I let out a breath and just listened to his heart.

"Come on, let's get to bed." He said pulling me up.

We both quickly changed and got under the cold covers. I laid with my back against his chest and his arm around my waist.

"Sam?" I asked after a few minutes.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"I don't want to be afraid anymore." I whispered.

Sam got up a little and turned me so my back was on the bed.

"What do you mean?"

"This morning…. I had another nightmare of him…and I know I lied to you and I'm so sorry about that. But it's just every time I close my eyes or try to fall asleep all I can think about is him. I just-…"

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you. You got that?" he told me.

I let out a shaky breath. "Yea."

He kissed me hard and held on to me tight.

"Close your eyes." He commanded.

I look hesitantly at him.

"Trust me alright? I promise nothing is going to happen to you as long as I'm here."

I nodded and slowly closed my eyes.

"I love you." He whispered.

"I love you too." I whispered and fell asleep.


	25. Chapter 25

When I woke up the next morning, Sam was still there. He was awake just watching me.

"Hey." I said sleepily.

"Hey." He said back while brushing away some hair from my face.

"You sleep ok?" he asked.

I nodded and snuggled closer to his warm body. "Slept better than I have in days."

He continued to stroke my hair and kiss the top of my head. Our stomachs soon growled and we both chuckled.

"Come on, lets go make breakfast." I chuckled while pulling him out of bed.

He let out a groan, but let me drag him. Our hands stayed entwined between us and I smiled happily as we trotted down the steps.

Just as we reached the bottom Sam spun me around and pulled me to him. He kissed me hard and passionately for a few moments before pulling away and smiling down at me.

"Morning." He said in a husky voice.

"Morning." I smiled to him in a happy daze.

Sam's stomach growled again and I let out a laugh. We walked in the kitchen and I had him sit down as I began dancing around the kitchen for all the supplies needed to make eggs and bacon.

He watched me as I cracked the eggs and scrambled them; just watching me with careful eyes.

"Quit it." I muttered as I got the bacon out of the fridge.

"What?" he asked snapping out of his haze.

"Looking at me like that. Its creepy." I said as I stood up to look at him.

"I wasn't staring." He argued.

"Were too." I said and walked back to the counter.

"And it wasn't creepy." He added.

"So you admitted you were staring." I smiled.

His eyes narrowed playfully and he got up from his seat.

"Sam." I warned. "I have bacon in my hands."

He ignored my comment and walked closer to me.

"Sam." I said again starting to back away.

Within seconds he had me in his arms tickling me like crazy.

"Sam!" I laughed and struggled to get out of his grasp.

The bacon ended up hitting Sam with a 'thwack' on his bare chest which made me laugh even harder. Sam was stunned for a second and I ran out of his arms. I heard a playful growl behind me as I ran off to the living room.

He caught me again and pinned me down on the couch.

"Not nice." He told me with a small smile.

"I thought it was pretty funny." I said with a smirk.

His eyes narrowed playfully again and he began nipping at my neck.

"Sam." I laughed and squirmed.

"Stop that tickles." I chuckled as he continued to nuzzle into me.

"Sam!" I laughed and shoved his shoulders back. As I looked into his eyes I could see the playfulness and lust.

I sat myself up on my shoulders, still panting from all the giggling. I continued to look into his eyes and suddenly pulled the back of his neck down to meet his lips with mine. Our lips parted with each other and we battled for dominance. I could feel his hands holding my hips hard as he tried to control his lust. We broke apart slightly as we heard a soft knock on the door.

Sam groaned and went to kiss my neck again. "Don't get it." He muttered.

I began squirming again and let out a giggle. "Sam, that tickles."

I could feel him smirk against me and he continued to nip at my skin.

The knock came again but a little louder.

"Sam, we have to get that. It could be important." I laughed against him as I tried to pull myself up.

He groaned and stayed still, just hovering on top of me.

The knock was louder and Sam groaned again. I rolled my eyes at the alpha wolf.

"Let's go." I said patting his shoulder to get up.

As I left the couch he whimpered and grabbed my wrist.

"No." he whined.

"Sam." I laughed and dragged him up.

He let out a small growl and pressed my back up against his chest as we slowly walked to the front door.

"This better be good." He muttered in my ear. I rolled my eyes and kissed his cheek softly. He reached beside me and opened the door.

There stood my brother.

"Paul?" I croaked out with a stunned look.

Sam let out a small growl and held me to him tighter.

"Bella." He said with a hurt look.

"Wh-what are you doing here?" I asked just looking at him like I was dreaming.

He took in a breath. "I came here to apologize."

I stood there even more shocked and looked at Sam. He shrugged and bent down to kiss my shoulder.

"Um…come in. Sam and I were just making breakfast." I said and stepped to the side with Sam still behind me.

Paul walked in the house awkwardly and I broke out of Sam's arms to go to the kitchen.

Sam gave a glare to Paul and then he came and wrapped his arms around my waist.

"You ok?" he whispered softly to me.

I nodded and let out a breath. "Yea, im fine."

He rested his chin on my shoulder and I continued to cook.

Paul came into the kitchen awkwardly and I looked over Sam's shoulder at him.

"You can sit if you want. Foods almost ready."

I patted Sam's hands that were clasped together around my stomach.

"You too wolf man. Go sit down."

"Wolf man?" he questioned with a snicker.

I blushed slightly and rolled my eyes.

"Get out of here." I laughed and shoved him as he took my second of embarrassment to steal some food.

Sam sat down across from Paul with a small smirk on his face as he watched me.

"You're doing it again." I told Sam as I put everything into bowls.

Sam rolled his eyes and continued to watch me.

"Who says I can't watch my girlfriend cook?" he asked.

A shiver ran down my spine at the word 'girlfriend'. I liked it. I rolled my eyes. "Its just creepy."

I set down all the bowls on the table and we began to eat.

It was quite awkward I might add. Thankfully Sam brought up some things to talk about.

"So how's Emily?" he asked Paul.

"She's good. Actually right now she is mad at me."

"Why?" I questioned.

"For the way I treated you." He mumbled.

I nodded and tried to ignore the awkwardness.

After we were all done eating I decided we needed to get this talk over with.

"Hey Sam, can you clean up here? I want to go talk with Paul."

"Sure." He said giving me a quick kiss and grabbing my plate.

"Lets head for the beach." I told my brother and got up.

Paul followed me to the door, but I quickly turned around.

"Meet you outside."

He nodded and headed out the door.

"Hey." I said to Sam as I walked into the kitchen. Sam turned around and looked at me.

I walked into his arms and buried my face in his chest.

"I love you." I said.

"I love you too." He said in his deep voice.

"Now go talk with your brother. He's waiting for you." Sam commanded.

I nodded and looked into his eyes. For a second, I felt everything fade away and just let it be me and him.

Without another thought Sam kissed me with so much love. Our lips moved together in sync and our tongues fought with each other.

When our lungs ran out of oxygen and we pulled away, Sam kept our foreheads together.

"You have no idea how much I don't want to let you go right now." He groaned.

"How about after you're done here, you gather up everyone and meet Paul and me down at the beach?" I suggested.

He nodded and kissed me again.

"Sounds perfect."

I kissed him one last time, just letting my hands roam from his warm ripped chest to his hair.

"Get out of here before I have my way with you." He growled as we pulled away.

I gave a smirk and rolled my eyes.

"See you in a few." I laughed and bounced out the door.


	26. Chapter 26

I bounced out of the house and down the porch stairs with a smile on my face. As i walked with Paul though, I found my smile quickly fading. The atmosphere was changing and I watched as Paul fought an internal battle.

"So…" I said awkwardly. I kept my hands in my front pockets and walked alongside him.

"Bella, I know I say this a lot but you have no idea how sorry I am." He whispered.

I bit my lip and stared at the ground. We were inching closer and closer to the beach. As the sand hit out feet I slipped off my shoes and dug my feet in the sand.

"Bella?" he questioned after a while.

I stared out in the water and let out a breath.

"You can't keep doing this to me Paul." I said in a shaky voice.

"Bella..." he pleaded.

"No, you don't get it." I said in a fiercer tone.

"I've forgiven you…ive forgiven you all so many times, and truthfully I'm getting tired of it. My heart can only expand so much Paul." I told him.

"I know Bella, but it's just…I finally had you back ya know? And then all of the sudden you are all cuddly with Seth and it just made me so angry."

"It's always made you angry." I cut in.

We were silent for a while just walking along the beach.

"You hurt me Paul." I admitted after a few more minutes of silence.

"I know and-…"

"No!" I cut in again and looked at him.

"You don't get it Paul. No matter how many times you say you do, you don't. You didn't just hurt me; you hurt Seth and hell, you even hurt Sam!"

Paul looked at me with guilty eyes.

"Do you know how many times ive went crying to Sam? How many times ive broken into little pieces because you've made me feel like I had to choose between you and Seth?"

Paul's face flashed with hurt but he didn't say a word. I let out a breath and turned my head to wipe away a tear.

"Tell me what I can do to make this up." He pleaded.

I wiped another falling tear. My heart was aching with pain- not only for me, but for Seth and Sam.

"I don't know Paul." I said sadly as we continued to walk.

"Hey." He said grabbing my arm and pulling me to face him.

"I can't stand this. I can't stand knowing how bad I hurt you, but what I can't stand the most is being without you any longer."

I closed my eyes and tried to take a few deeps breaths. I don't know if I could do it. I want to forgive him so bad, but was I really strong enough? Could I really let him back in only to possibly know he would let me down again?

"Please Bella." He whispered in my ear as he hugged me to him.

"Please, I will make this up to you. I promise I will make this up to you…just please. I need you to stick with me. You just can't give up on my yet. I'm a work in progress." He said with a small sad smile as he pulled away.

I rolled my eyes at his corny comment and wiped away the last of my tears. My head nodded to him and I huddled my body into his side. His whole body then froze and he waited for clarification.

"Ok, we can try it again…just…don't- don't let me regret this ok?" I asked softly.

A million dollar grin spread across his face and he picked me up and swung me around. He yelled out in pure joy and had me laughing with him for the first time in ages.

"I won't let you down Bella. I'm going to try so hard you are going to be amazed." He said smirking.

My heart began to feel normal again and I smiled back a bright grin.

We walked down the rest of the beach just talking and goofing off. I learned that he was thinking of proposing to Emily soon but wasn't sure how to. He kept asking me for advice and I was quite surprised to say the least. We talked like any brother and sister would. The fight and make up just moments ago didn't seem to have any impact on our talk down the beach and to say the least, Paul seemed relieved.

As we were walking back, we found the rest of the pack, including the imprints, setting up on the beach.

"Hey." I said with a smile at Sam.

Sam caught my eye for a second and when he saw I was happy and hadn't ripped Paul to pieces, he walked over to me and gave me a mind blowing kiss and hug.

"I missed you too." I laughed.

"Everything good now?" he murmured in my ear.

"As good as it's going to get." I told him kissing his cheek and moving on to say 'hi' to everyone else.

I talked with Leah and Kim for a while. I was never really close with them, but they were actually two great people. Eventually Kim walked off to find Jared and Leah and I sat on the beach.

As we continued to talk I could see why Jake imprinted on her. She was a really boyish girl and loved to do things her way. She didn't take crap from everyone and stayed away from all the girl drama stuff. Yet even with all of these boy like traits she was a soft and sympathetic human…or well wolf. She laughed and brought up funny things about Jake, and she didn't mind how close Jake and I were or are. She made everything seem easy going and wasn't judgmental.

"Hey you two." Emily said sitting down beside me.

"Hey." Leah and I responded politely.

The three of us found a common ground again and began talking nonstop. By the time it was time to set up and eat, the smile on my face seemed permanent.

I laughed harder than it ever seemed before as us girls got all the food set up while the boys got the bon fire ready.

At times, I found Sam watching me intently and I just arched an eyebrow and smiled at him. Every time he would shake his head blushing a little and then let a small smile spread across his face.

We were about done when the boys were, and they all ran over to get a plate. Thankfully all of the girls got one before we called the boys, so we went down to sit and eat.

After we all ate Seth came behind me and hugged me tight.

"Hey you." I smiled and hugged him back.

"Sorry I put you in that position. I just…I don't know what came over me and I just didn't want to lose you, and it seemed like I was and it just really hurt. But Bella, you gotta know I really am sor-" He whispered to me.

I looked at him in question and then it clicked. He was talking about with Paul.

"It's ok." I smiled, while cutting him off with a kiss on the cheek.

"Wanna go for a swim?" he asked.

My smile spread and I shook my head in excitement.

"Let's go!"

We laughed and ran to the cold blue water. Both of us screamed at the temperature of the water and began making big splashes.

As the sun was setting, everyone came over to Seth and me and joined us in our fun. Sam had me twirling in the air while we all laughed with high spirits.

When he set me down I kept my arms around his neck and looked up into his big brown eyes.

"I love you." I cooed.

He smiled and kissed me hard. "I love you too."

After all the fun and giggles died down, the boys started up the fire and we all attempted to dry off. My hair was soaked and most of my shirt and shorts were too. The guys and Leah were mostly dried off because of their warm temperatures.

"Come here" Sam said, stepping behind me so I could lay against his chest.

Within minutes I was feeling warmer with his body heat.

"Warm?" he chuckled as I snuggled into him.

"Mmm, very."

The night ended in happiness. Paul and I turned out ok and everyone found peace in our new found happiness.


	27. Chapter 27

A couple weeks later, I got a call on my cell while I laid in bed.

"Hello?" I answered partly annoyed someone was calling me this early.

"Hey Bella its Lila" she spoke happily.

"Hey Lila, what's up?" I questioned wiping the tiredness out of my voice and sitting up.

"I'm sorry, I know it's early, did I wake you? Oh gosh, maybe I should call you back…"

"No." I laughed. "It's fine. I was awake anyways. What's going on? Is Bex ok?" I asked. Just then Sam came walking in with a coffee in hand and a smirk on his face. We were up all night curving his craving for sex.

"Yea everything is great. I just wanted to call and tell you we were moving in our new house today and that Bex would love to see you." She said with a smile evident in her voice. One good thing about Lila was that she totally understood my relationship with Bex. She didn't mind when I hung around her and she definitely didn't push me out of Bex's life.

"That's awesome! Did you need any help moving in? And tell Bex I would love to see her soon too." I said as Sam came behind me and scooped my body to his. He drank his coffee cautiously above me and waited patiently for my conversation to finish.

"Actually yes, that would be such a great help. We are packing some things in the truck right now and should be there midafternoon. I can give you the address and meet you there in a few hours?"

"Sure that sounds perfect." I said with a smile. We finalized the plans and Lila gave me the address. After I hung up the phone, Sam leaned over me and put the coffee on the nightstand.

"Good morning." He said with a smile and a kiss to my lips.

"Morning." I said right back with a smirk. I brought his head down for another sweet kiss and let him tug his body to mine.

Something about being with Sam always made me crave him. It didn't matter how long I saw him or how long I didn't see him, I couldn't get enough of him. Maybe it was the imprint, or maybe it was the fact that I was just so in love with him. Either way, it didn't matter. He was here with me now and that's all I could ask for.

Before he could get his dress shirt unbuttoned and off of my body I tugged him off of me and he rolled us over.

"As much as I want this to go further, we have plans today." I said with a smile.

"Oh, really? And what would those plans be?" he questioned as he ran his hands up and down my hips. His eyes still carried lust in them and I bit my lip to stop myself from just jumping his bones right there.

"Well…you and the guys are going to meet some people that are very dear to me; and then you are going to help them move in to their new house." I said running my hands up and down his bare ripped chest.

He sat up, bringing my body as close as it could to his. "And what do I get for doing these lovely plans?" he asked huskily.

"Who said you get anything?" I teased, looking into his eyes.

"It's only fair." He smirked and then started attacking my neck with kisses.

I bit my lip hard to hold back a groan as he nipped at the skin. My hands continued to roam his body as he took charge.

"Bella." He groaned and flicked his tongue out. "Bella, let it out." He said taking a big whiff of the air and growling. He could smell my arousal thick in the air and I knew it turned him on even more. We ground our hips together hard and fast.

"Sam" I panted. "We need to stop."

His lips continued to travel downwards as his hands began unbuttoning his shirt from my body,

"Sam" I said putting a hand on his, which were on a small white button. He let out a groan and put his forehead on my chest.

"I want you so bad Bella." He groaned again. I set my chin down on top of his head and I ran my hand through his hair, playing with it for a bit till I could settle myself down.

"How could you still possibly want me after we spent a whole night with each other like this?" I questioned jokingly.

He immediately froze and looked up. "I always want you. No matter how many nights we spent like the last or how many mornings go by waking up with you. I will always want you."

"Sam" I said with a small smile, trying to let him know I was only kidding.

"I love you Bella. I love you with all my heart and soul. My body craves you with want, need, and god everything else. Don't ever feel like I don't love you or that I wouldn't want you because…"

I put my fingers over his lips and looked him in the eye. "I know. I know you love me and will always want me Sam. You tell me and show me all the time. Relax baby. I know ok? And I love you for that. I do. But I was only kidding."

He looked into my eyes for a few minutes before bringing a hand up to kiss my fingers that were on his lips.

"I love you." He told me after his lips settled on mine.

"I love you too." I smiled and continued to kiss him.

"You know, I can see right through your shirt." He groaned and roamed his hands all over my upper body.

I pulled away and rolled my eyes. "What a charmer."

He looked at me with pleading eyes. "Please Bella, I want you."

"As much as I want you too, I think I need to get out of this thin shirt." I smirked and hopped off of him and rolled out of bed.

I took the hot coffee he placed on the nightstand and brought it to my lips for a sip.

"Mmm, still warm." I smiled "I'm off for a shower!" I yelled over my shoulder and sauntered my way to the bathroom. I felt his gaze all over my body. I guessed he was most likely looking at my ass considering his shirt just barely covered it.

I kept the door barely open, waiting for Sam's delayed reaction to come and join me. Just as I set the coffee down by the sink, large warm hands wrapped around my waist and he moved my hair to kiss the back of my neck.

"And what do you think you are doing Mr. Uley?" I asked with a smirk. I turned my head to the side, giving him both more access to my neck and to look up at him.

"About to get in the shower with my lovely girlfriend." He smirked and continued to hug me to him.

"Oh really?" I teased and giggled as he continued to kiss my neck.

"mmhhmm." He murmured.

"I don't remember inviting you…" I said.

Sam gave a squeeze to my sides and I let out a laugh.

"Hey. I would be nice to the girl getting in your shower." I warned and backed out of his arms. I turned on the water and laughed again as Sam's arms wrapped around my waist. It was fun and relaxing to see the playful side of Sam. The boys always got to see the cool and collective side of him, and many times the alpha side, but they never got to see what I did.

"Whatcha thinking about?" Sam asked me as he laid his chin on my shoulder.

"Nothing." I said with a smile.

Unfortunately that answer wasn't going to fly with Sam and he quickly spun me around to look at him.

"You sure you don't want to give me a better answer? The truth perhaps?" he questioned with his tone of voice on the verge of teasing and seriousness.

"Sam, it's nothing." I smiled and kissed him.

"Alright, you asked for it." He said with a small smile. He picked me up in his arms and brought me into the cold tile shower.

I squealed as the cold water hit my back.

"Sam!" I yelled at him as the water was still warming up.

"You going to tell me what's on your mind now?" he questioned with a tad more seriousness.

"Sam." I huffed and rolled my eyes a bit. He held me in his arms comfortably, waiting for an answer. I debated with myself to tell him or not. I mean, admitting I was thinking about him was a tad embarrassing and definitely silly.

"I still have clothes on ya know." I said as I looked at him white button up shirt that was getting soaked.

"And you still haven't answered my question." He said almost with a growl as he could start seeing through the shirt.

"What if I don't want to answer?" I questioned with a hint of seriousness to my tone.

"Then we will be standing in here for a very long time. And not that I wouldn't love that, but I think if you stay in one of my shirts all wet and sticky, I might just lose all self-control and rip it off right now." He growled a bit.

I let out a laugh and bowed my head in embarrassment.

"I was thinking about you ok? Now can we drop it and start this whole shower sex thing?" I joked.

Sam bent his head and began kissing my neck. "What about me?"

I let out a sigh and closed my eyes, enjoying his marvelous lips.

"Just you and I don't know, being with you." I brought my hands up to his hair as he pulled my body closer to his.

"And?" he questioned looking up at me.

"And…I just like it. I like being here and feeling the way I do when you're around. Now can we skip the rest of this embarrassing conversation and get back to finishing our shower?" I questioned with a smile.

He let out a little laugh and kissed me. "You're something else Bella."

"You know it." I smiled.

We finished what we started. Sam got his shirt unbuttoned and off of me quickly, while I took of his boxers with a rush. The rest of the morning went by pretty normal and made it to one of my favorites. It just felt like I was living a fairytale.

"I must be causing a lot of these epiphany moments today." Sam smirked as I laid my head on his lap, waiting for the pack to show.

I rolled my eyes and stuck out my tongue. "I was just thinking. No need to start another round of questions."

He smirked and ran a hand through my hair.

"Care to share?"

"Do I have a choice?" I questioned. Sam's eyes narrowed and I rolled my eyes again.

"Didn't think so." I muttered. I let out another breath and looked at my hands.

"Is it weird to say I was thinking about you again?"

He let out a little laugh and moved one of his hands to entwine with mine.

"No, it wouldn't." he smiled.

"I don't know, I was just thinking about today and how fairytale like it was. Don't get me wrong, it's a good thing…a great thing really, but I just wonder if it will always be like this."

"It will always be like this if you want it to be." He encouraged.

I looked up at him and smiled. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." He smiled again.

"Well in that case, I am going to have a lot of favorite moments…or days I guess. I think I'm going to have to start making a book." I joked

Sam laughed and squeezed my hand. Before the conversation could go any further, the pack came in the front door.

"Hey you two love birds, ready to go?" Jake asked twirling the key ring in his hand.

I rolled my eyes and got up from the couch.

"Yup! Ready!" I smiled and then dragged Sam out the door and to the cars.


	28. Chapter 28

"Hey guys!" I said as Sam and I walked outside.

"Hey Sis." Paul said as I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Hey Bella!" everyone else replied except for Seth and Emily who were talking. I tossed Sam the keys and ran over to Seth. I jumped on his back and let out a laugh.

"Hey you." I smiled and kissed his cheek. "Hey Emily." I smiled.

She gave us a grin, said hello and made her way back to Paul.

"So you riding with me today?" I questioned as he walked us to the cars.

"If you want me to." He smiled.

"Of course I do!" I said happily.

"So where are we going exactly Bella?" Kim asked.

"Well, we are going to meet some new people…well new to you, not to me."

Everyone gave a little chuckle. "We can trade stories when we get there. Let's hit the road!" I said and kicked Seth lightly like I was on a horse.

Seth let out a chuckle but shook his head. "What are we going to do with you Bells…?"

"Walk me to the car. Duh Seth." I joked and kissed him as he let me down.

Within minutes we were on the road and driving to see Bex. I was really excited. I couldn't wait to see their new house and how Bex would like it. I was also excited for everyone to meet this great family. They were truly amazing and a part of my life no one really knew about.

As I sang along to the radio, I noticed Sam stealing glances at me.

"What?" I questioned with a smile.

"Nothing." He smirked.

"Oh no. You don't get to play that game. I had to deal with playing this game of 'admit the truth' all morning, it's your turn bud." I said pointedly.

He rolled his eyes and looked at me. "I was just thinking about you. Is that so bad?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "It depends. What exactly were you thinking?"

He rolled his eyes and let out a sigh as I waited patiently.

"Hey, payback is a bitch." I said flatly. He gave me another quick glance and finally admitted what was on his mind.

"I was just thinking about how beautiful you looked today and that you have a really good singing voice. I never knew you could sing."

I let out a laugh. "That's because I don't have a good voice. Maybe you were hearing Seth or Kim and Jared back there, but it definitely wasn't me. And as for the compliment, thank you." I smiled.

"You're welcome, but it's your voice I heard, Not the backseat mutts."

"And human!" Kim added. Sam and I both let out a laugh and then turned back to each other.

"Well thank you. Again." I said, knowing I wouldn't win this conversation. Sam nodded and turned back to the road.

A few minutes later we were practically there and I was bouncing with excitement.

"So are you going to tell us about these people?" Seth questioned with a little bit of edge in his voice.

I turned my body and looked at him. "Are you jealous? You sound jealous." I said.

"No." Seth said quickly.

"Seth, your jealous!" I said with a small laugh. "Don't be jealous Seth. They are just some people I know. Don't worry, no one will replace you. Ever." I said seriously.

Sam cleared his throat and I rolled my eyes. "Or you Romeo." I said.

Everyone in the car laughed and just as we pulled up the address I unbuckled the seatbelt and ran out of the car.

Bex, who was playing in the front yard with her dolls looked up and ran for me.

"Belly!" she squealed.

"Bex!" I yelled and picked her up. After twirling her around in the air she hugged me tight.

"I missed you." She whispered.

"I missed you too."

"Bella!" Lila said.

"Hey Lila, Carter." I said. Bex tapped me on the shoulder and then pointed to the people behind me.

"Oh!" I said with a laugh. I turned around and began to introduce the guys.

"Lila, Carter, Bex. These are the guys. Guys, this is Lila, her husband Carter, and their kid Bex."

They all shook hands and met with out a problem.

"Hi." Bex said shyly to Seth.

"Hey Bex. Im Seth." He said and shook her tiny hand. I looked between them and then suddenly got it. Sam could tell what I was thinking and decided to help my situation.

"Well guys, how about you help these people get started. Seth, you want to take Bex for a while?"

"Sure." He said as nonchalantly as possible. Bex opened her arms for him and he immediately reached for her. As everyone got to work, Sam wrapped his arms around me and waited for me to say something. When I didn't, he took the initiative.

"You ok?" he questioned.

"Yeah." I said with a confused breath. "I don't know whether to be happy or strangely protective."

"Of Seth or Bex?" he asked.

For a moment, I didn't know. "Both." I concluded.

Sam kissed my cheek and entwined our hands. "They are both in good hands. Don't let it get to you ok?"

I nodded and a few seconds later we got to work.

By the end of the night, mostly everything was done. We all sat down in their family room and just talked. Bex laid in my lap, playing with the buttons on my shirt and listening to the conversation.

"So how did you all meet?" Carter asked referring to me and the pack.

"Long story or short?" I questioned with a laugh.

"Short." "Long." Were all the responses; I let out a laugh and picked my own version.

"Ok, well it all started when I found out Paul was my brother. I ended up finding a note in my mom's closet saying that we were actually related. So since I was still in touch with Jake, here, I told him that I would be coming out and trying this whole family relationship thing. It actually wasn't so bad. We got along more than I thought we would. We immediately hit it off and I stayed with Paul." I smiled at the thought.

"I ended up becoming best friends with Seth and just spending time with all these guys here." I said rolling my eyes. They all laughed and waited for me to continue.

"Later on, I applied to colleges and got accepted to UCLA and Columbia. So I left for college and then you know that story." I said referring to meeting Bex and then Carter and Lila.

They nodded and I continued. "Well I ended up getting a jobs back in Forks and then reunited with these muscle men…and girls." I laughed.

Everyone laughed, but I knew the pack felt a little awkward. I left out all the parts of their change and the exclusion, and how everyone took everything. There was just too much drama to explain.

"So how did you two meet?" Lila asked referring to Sam and me.

I bit my lip and looked at Sam. How would I really explain that?

"Well, Bella and I actually met the day that she was leaving for college. I think it was a love at first sight thing, but she might argue differently." He smirked. I tried my hardest to hide my blush, but with everyone's laughter, I knew I didn't get away with it.

"Then, we met up about 6 years later when she was teaching a class that Collin and Brady took. From then on we hit it off and here we are." He smiled cheekily.

I nodded to him as a silent thank you. "So Bella, was it love at first sight?" Lila questioned teasingly.

"That's for me to know and everyone else…not to." I laughed.

"So, how did you all meet?" Paul asked, pointing at Bex, Lila, Carter and me.

"Um…well…" I said biting my lip.

"Well, I don't really know how it started from Bella's point of view but I would be happy to tell mine." Lila replied.

I nodded and felt my heart start to pound.

"Well Carter and I had a hard time getting pregnant so we were looking at adoption. We found Bella here, with little Bex, and we just immediately loved her. She was such a kind sweet little girl and we just knew she would be a great part of our family." Lila smiled over at Bex.

Bex smiled but continued to cuddle into me. I felt a tad awkward sharing this story. For some reason, it just didn't occur to me that this story would be brought up.

"So we filed for adoption to Bex and she became ours. Both Carter and I knew how close she became with Bella since she was living with her for a while, so we both decided that it was important for Bella to continually visit Bex. It was like we were adopting two girls for the price of one. It was a true gift." She smiled.

"Plus, Bella's company was always appreciated since Bex was like the energizer bunny when she was real little." Carter supplied. Everyone let out a little laugh and I gave Bex a little tickle.

"So Bella, what's your side?" Seth asked.

I swallowed and looked at all the guys. I didn't like the feeling of being put on the spot, but I knew Seth didn't mean it. I think he was just trying to get to know Bex's life a little more since she was his imprint.

"Well, I guess it all started when I was living with Phil in the summer. Phil had to go to the hospital for a baseball injury and while I was waiting for him outside his room, I found Bex. She was being treated for some minor cuts and bruises while being in foster care. So I just immediately talked with some people and convinced them to let me take her home. She stayed with me for a while and we had an instant bond. Bex had this amazing smile and had a ton of ambition and passion."

I bit my lip and looked at Carter and Lila. I didn't really know if they wanted me to tell everyone this. They both just nodded at me, waiting for my story to continue. I looked down at Bex and found her fighting sleep.

Running a hand through her hair, I watched as her eyes fluttered closed.

"Towards the end of the summer, I put in an application to try and adopt her, but the system said it was unlikely they would accept my request. I was young, I didn't have much of a family structure and even though Phil made a lot of money, it just wouldn't be good enough, especially because he moved around a lot."

"So, I had to let her go." I swallowed hard, trying to push away that moment. "I learned that they found a better home for her, with a stable family."

"Of course, before I could let Bex go, I checked out the family and made sure she was in good hands, which she was." I smiled.

"And then I let Bex go. And she's been living happily ever after since."

"With your company too Bella." Carter added. I smiled and nodded.

I carried Bex up to her new room and tucked her in bed.

"Thank you Bella, I know that must have been hard on you."

"It's fine." I said watching Bex sleep. "It was for the best and I'm glad she's such in good hands."

We walked back downstairs and said our goodbyes. When Sam began driving us home, he grabbed my hand and kissed it. I smiled up at him and then turned back to the window.

I wasn't exactly sad, but that moment where Bex left me, it tore part of my heart. I lost a piece of myself whether I would like to admit it or not.

We all said our goodbye as we dropped everyone off and went back to our normal routine.

"Thanks for coming guys." I said with a smile.

"Anytime Bella, they seem like really cool people."

"Yea, they are." I smiled.

Seth came up to me and gave me a hug. "Bella…i…"

"It's ok Seth. I figured it out pretty fast. I'm not mad, and I know you won't hurt her, but for my own reassurance, if you hurt her, there will be hell to pay."

He let out a little laugh and brought me into a hug. "I know, I would never."

"Good, now get out of here." I laughed and walked over to Sam.

Sam brought his arm around my shoulder and tugged our bodies close.

"You ok?" he asked as we walked inside his house.

I looked all around and then stared up at him.

"I am now." I whispered and then brought his lips down to mine.


End file.
